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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. safety regulators have closed an investigation into a fatal crash involving Tesla Motors' Autopilot system without seeking a recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Tesla won't be fined, but the agency criticized the electric car maker for calling the semi-autonomous driving feature Autopilot.
Agency spokesman Bryan Thomas says advanced automated driving systems still require "continual and full attention of a driver" who should be prepared to take action. And he said manufacturers need to pay attention to how drivers actually use the technology, not just how they're supposed to use it, and to design their vehicles "with the inattentive driver in mind."
Tesla's Autopilot system uses cameras, radar and computers to detect objects and automatically brake if the car is about to hit something. It also can steer the car to keep it centered in its lane. But drivers are instructed to keep both hands on the wheel at all times.
The investigation followed a May crash in Florida. The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed when the Autopilot system failed to spot a tractor-trailer crossing the car's path.
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