Thune Presses for Update on Tesla Technology
Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune called on the maker of Tesla to update federal lawmakers on the vehicles’ safety features.
A fatal crash in May of a Tesla Model S driver using the car’s “autopilot” feature prompted Thune’s July 14 letter to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
“It is essential to use lessons learned from this incident to improve safety technologies, ensure they perform as advertised and make certain that consumers are properly educated about their use,” Thune (R-S.D.) wrote. “While hurdles exist for the deployment of self-driving vehicles, driver assistance and autonomous technologies offer significant safety benefits.”
“In order to achieve the intended safety benefits of these technologies, manufacturers must educate customers not only about their benefits but also their limitations,” the chairman added.
Thune told Musk to have his team brief Commerce Committee staff by July 29 on the company’s safety efforts.
As autonomous technology advances in the trucking and automotive sectors, Thune has stressed the technology has the potential of reducing driving fatalities.
