NHTSA Investigates Comma AI After Fatal Crashes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation on September 21 into driver-assistance devices produced by Comma AI. The agency's Office of Defects Investigation identified five crashes where vehicles equipped with the technology struck slow-moving or stopped vehicles in their lanes, resulting in three deaths and 11 injuries.

Preliminary data indicates the systems may have failed to adequately detect or respond to vehicles in their path. One of these incidents aligns with a February crash in Louisiana, where a Toyota RAV4 struck a stopped police vehicle and killed two passengers.

The investigation focuses on the OpenPilot software and hardware versions including comma three, comma 3X, and comma four. Regulators are also determining if modified open-source forks of the software were active during the crashes. Comma AI sells these aftermarket devices to enable hands-off driving across more than 325 car models.