The U.S. government’s highway safety agency said Thursday it will send a team to investigate a Thanksgiving Day pileup on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge involving a Tesla that may have been using the company’s “Full Self-Driving” software.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it sent the team after gathering information from law enforcement officers and Tesla.
The eight-vehicle crash happened about noon, closing two lanes and clogging traffic on the holiday. Nine people were treated for minor injuries including a child who was hospitalized, according to CNN, which got a copy of the crash report through a public records request.
The Tesla Model S driver reportedly told the California Highway Patrol that the company's “Full Self-Driving” system was operating when the crash occurred, and that it braked unexpectedly while traveling at 55 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour). The Model S shifted into the far left lane, then braked to 20 mph, causing the pileup, CNN said the report stated.
A message was left Thursday seeking comment from Tesla on the latest NHTSA action. The company based in Austin, Texas, has disbanded its media relations department.
