In the realm of self-driving technology within vehicles, concerns over safety have rightfully taken center stage. Incidents involving autonomous driving systems like Tesla’s FSD & AutoPilot, Waymo, and Cruise have underscored the potential risks inherent in these systems.
While accidents involving such technologies are tragic, they are unfortunately part of the growing pains associated with the evolution of self-driving systems. However, today’s discussion shifts away from Tesla, Waymo, and Cruise, as the focus turns to Ford’s Level 2 advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), BlueCruise. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) initiates its first-ever investigation into Ford’s autonomous vehicle technology, which debuted in 2021 with the Mustang Mach-E.
For the uninitiated, a Level 2 ADAS falls under the category of Partial Automation. This means the vehicle can manage steering, acceleration, and deceleration while monitoring the driving environment, but the driver must remain alert to the road in case of the need to take control of the vehicle.
What prompted this investigation arose on February 24, 2024, when a Ford Mustang Mach-E collided with a stationary Honda CR-V on Highway 10 in San Antonio, Texas. Tragically, the driver of the CR-V passed away shortly after being rushed to the hospital.
An NTSB spokesperson informed KSAT, an ABC-affiliated TV station in San Antonio, Texas, that “NTSB is investigating this fatal crash due to its continued interest in advanced driver assistance systems and how vehicle operators interact with these technologies… A team of investigators from the NTSB’s Special Investigations Branch of the Office of Highway Safety will travel to San Antonio to examine the wreckage and collect information about the accident site and sequence of events leading to the collision.”
At the heart of the investigation lies the question of whether Ford’s BlueCruise system was activated at the time of the crash. Ford has taken proactive steps by reporting the incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and has expressed a full commitment to cooperating with the investigation. Additionally, the company will conduct its own internal research to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the accident.
