The recent Super Bowl featured a pair of advertisements that ignited a contentious debate regarding the safety of Tesla’s self-driving technology. Created by The Dawn Project, these ads called for a boycott of Tesla, alleging that the company’s vehicles pose a safety risk due to their self-driving capabilities.
Specifically, the controversial ads followed a 2023 Super Bowl campaign that depicted an Autopilot-driven Tesla running over child-sized dummies in a parking lot. The Dawn Project has accused Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, of misleading consumers about the safety of the company’s self-driving software, claiming it is significantly safer than a human driver when, in reality, it allegedly drives erratically, similar to the behavior of an impaired teenager.
The group’s website stated, “Anyone who purchases a Tesla from Elon Musk is enabling his reckless behavior, including his self-driving experiments that have resulted in over 1,000 crashes and at least 33 tragic deaths. Boycott Tesla to cut off the funding for Elon Musk’s depraved human experiments.”
The controversial ads featured footage of an Autopilot-driven Tesla disregarding a flashing stop sign on a school bus and colliding with multiple child-sized dummies. These claims have intensified the scrutiny of Tesla’s Autopilot technology by state and federal regulators.
In December, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that the misuse of Tesla’s Autopilot software had resulted in multiple car accidents. Consequently, Tesla recalled approximately two million of its vehicles for mandatory Autopilot updates, disputing the NHTSA’s findings while complying with the vehicle recall and software update.
Despite being a hallmark feature for Tesla, Autopilot has been the subject of criticism, with claims that the software can be easily deceived, allowing the driver to be less attentive than intended or even not sitting in the driver’s seat when the vehicle is in motion.
This recent recall is just the latest in a series of investigations and recalls involving Tesla’s vehicles and safety measures. The California attorney general initiated an investigation into the safety of Tesla’s Autopilot software and vehicles in July. Furthermore, the company has been the subject of multiple recalls and safety probes by the NHTSA in recent years.
The Hill has sought comment from Tesla regarding this issue.
In summation, the controversial ads targeting Tesla’s self-driving technology during the Super Bowl have raised concerns about the safety and reliability of the company’s Autopilot software. The ongoing scrutiny from regulators and advocacy groups continues to cast a shadow over Tesla’s self-driving technology and its impact on road safety.
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