US Probes Four-Vehicle Crash Involving AI Driver Assistance

US road safety authorities are investigating a fatal motorway crash in which a driver was using Ford’s BlueCruise partially automated driving system.

Dimple Patel, a 23-year-old premed student from Philadelphia, was using Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving feature and adaptive cruise control at the time of the crash, investigators said.

The incident occurred at around 3 a.m. on 3 March on the I-95 highway in Philadelphia, with Patel accused of driving her Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle while under the influence.

The cars of two men were parked on the left shoulder of the highway when the Mach-E struck the rear vehicle at a speed of around 71 miles per hour, triggering a four-vehicle collision that caused the deaths of both men, investigators said.

‘Strive to maintain control’

Patel turned herself in to police on Tuesday and faces charges including involuntary manslaughter and DUI homicide, Pennsylvania State Police said.

“No partially automated vehicle technology should ever be left alone to perform the driving tasks that are required to safely navigate the roads of the commonwealth,” state police said.

“While the advancements in technology are immense, always strive to maintain proper control of your vehicle.”

BlueCruise allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on specific sections of motorway while the system uses external sensors to monitor surroundings and manage steering, braking and acceleration.

It uses a driver-facing camera to monitor attentiveness and ensure the driver is able to take control of the vehicle.

Patel defence attorney Zak Goldstein told reporters the role of the system would be critical to the case as in a DUI homicide charge, the DUI has to be the cause of the homicide.

Tech ‘misuse’

In April the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened probes into the Philadelphia crash and another fatal crash in San Antonio, Texas that also involved a Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise in use. Ford said it is supporting the investigations.

In the same month the NHTSA said a “critical safety gap” in Tesla’s Autopilot system contributed to at least 467 collisions, with 13 resulting in fatalities and “many others” in serious injuries.

The agency said that “foreseeable driver misuse of the system played an apparent role” in the crashes.

The NHTSA is also investigating “unexpected behaviour” of Waymo self-driving vehicles.