“Autopilot Is A Flawed System”: Senator Ed Markey Urges Tesla To Rename Its Driver-Assistance Feature

While the NHTSA may not be catching on to Tesla’s Autopilot disaster, it appears at least one senator has. 

Senator Ed Markey said on Friday that Tesla should rebrand its driver-assist technologies and take “additional steps to ensure drivers pay attention to the road while using the system,” according to Bloomberg. Markey has been critical of Tesla’s driver-assist feature dating back months. 

“Autopilot is a flawed system, but I believe its dangers can be overcome,” Markey said. 

Sed. Markey recommendation just sent to reporters: “Tesla should rebrand and remarket Autopilot to make it clear from the beginning that its driver assistance system is not fully autonomous and cannot replace drivers on the road. “

— Charley Grant (@CGrantWSJ) January 24, 2020

Markey also said he believes that Autopilot “promotes confusion about the limits of the system and the name undermines user manuals and instructions stressing drivers must remain in control of the car.”

Tesla has, of course, said that drivers should keep their hands on the wheel and stay attentive when using Autopilot. But, as we know, not everybody follows those recommendations.