US safety regulator probes Comma driver-assist tech after deadly crashes
The NHTSA inquiry raises fresh safety questions about aftermarket driver-assist systems and third-party forks of openpilot.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a defects investigation into Comma.ai’s aftermarket driver-assistance devices after five crashes in which cars using them hit slow or stopped vehicles, causing three deaths and multiple injuries. Regulators say the cases involve failures to properly detect or react to vehicles in the same lane, raising safety concerns for developers building or integrating add‑on ADAS stacks. Two of the incidents were fatal and in total 11 people were reported injured across four of the crashes. At least one deadly crash involved a 2022 Toyota RAV4 running FrogPilot, a third‑party fork of Comma.ai’s openpilot software, highlighting potential risk from community-modified versions of safety‑critical code. Comma.ai’s system, which can handle steering, acceleration and braking via adaptive cruise and lane‑centering, is positioned as similar to Tesla Autopilot and GM Super Cruise but still requires drivers to be ready to immediately take back control.
Why it matters
The investigation puts aftermarket driver-assist systems and their ecosystem under closer scrutiny. Comma.ai’s technology is marketed with capabilities similar to established automaker systems and can steer, accelerate and brake, but drivers are told they must always be ready to take over. A fatal crash involving a Toyota RAV4 running a third-party fork of openpilot underscores that regulators are now looking not only at the core product but also at community-modified variants of safety-critical software.
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