A former Tesla employee has released a video showing a Tesla vehicle in Full Self-Driving (FSD) Mode running a red light. The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of Elon Musk’s self-driving technology.
Jalopnik reports that John Bernal, who previously held the position of advanced driver assistance systems test operator at Tesla, was fired last year for posting a video of his private Model 3 Tesla car running into bollards while in FSD Mode Beta. Tesla stated that Bernal had violated the company’s social media use standards, leading to his dismissal and the revocation of his access to FSD Beta.
Despite losing his job, Bernal has continued to document his experiences with Tesla’s self-driving technology on his YouTube page, AIAddict. His most recent video, which shows the Tesla vehicle running a red light while turning left onto a highway, has sparked a fresh wave of concern about the safety of Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.
What as @Tesla FSD Beta runs a red Light @elonmusk @NHTSAgov pic.twitter.com/YC9HLZojyk
— Aiaddict (@Aiaddict1) July 9, 2023
This incident is not the first time Tesla’s self-driving technology has come under scrutiny. The Department of Justice opened a federal probe into potential criminal charges against the company in 2022. Furthermore, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened special investigations into the deaths of at least 20 people who have died in Tesla vehicles since 2016.
Earlier this year, Tesla was forced to recall over 350,000 vehicles equipped with FSD Beta software due to a variety of safety concerns raised by NHTSA. The company is also under investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Given these ongoing investigations and safety concerns, the prospect of fully self-driving Tesla vehicles becoming a reality by the end of the year seems increasingly unlikely.
Read more at Jalopnik here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan