Ford probed in US after fatal collisions in self-driving cars

A U.S. road safety agency today said it has launched a probe into Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise driver assistance system following two fatal crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, said the driver-assistance software has been linked with a number of crashes, including two in 2024 that resulted in fatalities.  The first happened close to San Antonio, Texas, when a 24-year-old driver in a Mustang Mach-E was traveling on Interstate 10 when he crashed into the back of a stationary Honda CRV. The occupant of the Honda died in the collision.

“The driver had been operating the vehicle in BlueCruise mode before the crash,” said NHTSA after a preliminary investigation. The software is a driver assistance technology that is usually used for hands-free driving on certain roads, such as highways that have been mapped. While drivers can take their hands off the wheel and the pedals, they’re supposed to remain alert at all times.

The second fatal crash happened in Philadelphia in March. The Ford car smashed into a Hyundai Elantra and a Toyota Prius, both of which were stationary in a travel lane. The Ford hit both cars from behind, killing occupants in each car.

“Ford was recently made aware of this incident via the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, and have informed the National Highway Transportation Safety Association as required,” Ford said at the time. “We are researching the events of March 3 and collaborating fully with both agencies to understand the facts.”

The investigation is reminiscent of the NHTSA’s probe into a series of crashes, some fatal, that occurred in Tesla Inc. vehicles when drivers using the Autopilot feature had taken their eyes off the road. While drivers using such technology should never lose focus of what’s going on in the streets, it seems some have had too much faith in the software.

Tesla updated its self-driving technology, but just last week, the NHTSA announced that it was going to begin a new investigation to assess whether the software fix has been substantial enough. This comes after a number of crashes that happened after the update.

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