Ralph Nader, a former presidential candidate, and vocal consumer safety advocate, has called on federal regulators to recall Tesla’s Full Self-Driving” or FSD driver-assist feature. According to a report on The Verge, Nader has strong words for the automaker’s technology calling its deployment “one of the most dangerous and irresponsible actions by a car company in decades.”
Call for a Prompt Recall
Nader first came into prominence with the publication of his 1965 bestselling book “Unsafe at Any Speed,” a searing critique of the American auto industry.
Now, he has strong words for Tesla and is calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to use its authority to recall Tesla’s FSD tech from every vehicle. He said NHTSA must take this action immediately “to prevent the growing deaths and injuries from Tesla manslaughtering crashes with this technology.”
Nader is not alone in this position. A growing number of advocates are calling for the government to decide on Tesla’s FSD, which critics say pushes the limits of what should be available to drivers.
NHTSA is still investigating 16 crashes in which Tesla vehicle owners using the Autopilot driver-assist feature crashed into stopped emergency vehicles resulting in one death and 15 injuries.
Accidents and Investigation
Most of these crashes occurred after dark, with the software ignoring scene control measures, including warning lights, flares, cones, and even illuminated arrow boards.
NHTSA recently upgraded the investigation to “engineering analysis,” which is the last leg of an investigation before a possible recall.
Tesla recently reported that more than 100,000 vehicle owners are beta testing FSD on public roadways.
As of July 26, there were 48 crashes on NHTSA’s list, 39 of which involved Tesla vehicles using Autopilot. Nineteen people, including drivers, pedestrians, passengers, and other drivers and motorcyclists, were killed in those Tesla crashes.
Last week, California’s DMV accused Tesla of falsely advertising its Autopilot and FSD features alleging that the company made false or misleading claims about its vehicles’ autonomous driving capabilities.
Nader is now lending his expertise and reputation to the fight making a strong statement that NHTSA should act before anyone else is killed. “Americans must not be test dummies for a powerful, high-profile corporation and its celebrity CEO. No one is above the laws of manslaughter.”
Still Unsafe at Any Speed
Brian Chase, the managing partner at Bisnar Chase, has spoken out about Tesla putting these vehicles and technology out there without properly vetting or testing them.
By doing so, they are endangering the consumers who buy their vehicles and others on the roadway who become victims of their dangerous vehicles. The technology may be here in the future, but our nation’s highways should not be test tracks.
Chase’s book “Still Unsafe at Any Speed” was inspired by Nader’s 1965 publication.
In his book, Chase offers valuable information about specific auto defects enabling readers to evaluate an auto products liability case.
Defective autos cause tragedies, and our product defect lawyers have seen these preventable tragedies happen to clients and their families.
Ultimately, this is not about a company’s profits, data, or technical information but the impact corporate greed and negligence have on real people and their lives.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/10/23299973/ralph-nader-tesla-fsd-recall-nhtsa-autopilot-crash
