The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation into Ford’s BlueCruise driver assistance system following two separate fatal crashes that occurred at night. BlueCruise joins Tesla’s Autopilot as the second driver assistance program to face federal scrutiny.
Ars Technica reports that Ford’s BlueCruise system, introduced in 2021, is designed to offer hands-free driving assistance on pre-mapped divided highways. Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot, BlueCruise has a more restricted operational design domain (ODD) and incorporates an infrared driver monitoring system to ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road.
Despite these safety measures, the system has come under scrutiny from federal regulators. In March, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation into a fatal crash involving a Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle in San Antonio, Texas, on February 24, where BlueCruise was reportedly engaged.
ROMULUS, MI – FEBRUARY 13: Ford CEO Jim Farley pats a Ford F-150 Lightning truck before announcing at a press conference that Ford Motor Company will be partnering with the world’s largest battery company, a China-based company called Contemporary Amperex Technology, to create an electric-vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, on February 13, 2023 in Romulus, Michigan. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Now, the NHTSA has revealed it is aware of a second fatal BlueCruise crash that also occurred at night. As a result, the agency has initiated a preliminary investigation to determine if the system is defective.
Ford has stated that it is cooperating with the NHTSA’s investigation, which aims to assess the safety and potential flaws of the BlueCruise system, particularly in low-light conditions.
While BlueCruise and similar systems like GM’s Super Cruise are classified as Level 2 driver assistance systems, they are designed to offer a more controlled and safer experience compared to Tesla’s Autopilot. However, these systems are not fully autonomous, and drivers are expected to remain attentive and ready to take control at any moment.
The investigation highlights the ongoing challenges and concerns surrounding the deployment of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and their potential risks if not used as intended or in situations beyond their operational limits.
Breitbart News recently reported on the end of the NHTSA’s latest investigation of Tesla Autopilot, which found a “critical safety gap” in Elon Musk’s software:
TechCrunch reports that the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation released documents on Friday detailing the completion of an extensive body of work that uncovered evidence of Tesla’s weak driver engagement system being inappropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities. This mismatch created a critical safety gap between drivers’ expectations of Autopilot’s operating capabilities and the system’s true capabilities, leading to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes.
According to the NHTSA, “This mismatch resulted in a critical safety gap between drivers’ expectations of [Autopilot’s] operating capabilities and the system’s true capabilities. This gap led to foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes.”
The investigation, which began in 2021, reviewed 953 reported crashes up until August 30, 2023. Approximately half of these crashes were deemed insufficient in data, involved another vehicle at fault, found Autopilot not in use, or were otherwise unrelated to the probe. The remaining 467 crashes were categorized into three groups: 211 crashes where the Tesla struck another vehicle or obstacle with adequate time for an attentive driver to respond, 145 crashes involving roadway departures in low traction conditions, and 111 crashes involving roadway departures where the driver’s inputs inadvertently disengaged Autopilot.
Read more at Ars Technica here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
