Amazon’s self-driving vehicle company, Zoox, is facing an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following two robotaxi accidents. The NHTSA will be conducting a probe to understand whether the self-driving vehicles have any defects that could potentially present an unreasonable risk to safety. The investigation covers 2020-2021 Zoox vehicles as well.
In both incidents, the Zoox cars were in a self-driving mode with a safety driver behind the wheel. During the accidents, there were no severe injuries reported. According to Zoox, they are cooperating fully with the NHTSA’s investigation and are committed to public safety.
The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation will evaluate aspects of the automated driving system engaged at the time of the crashes. The investigation represents a part of growing scrutiny by regulators on autonomous vehicle technology and how it interacts with users and the environment.
It’s important to note such investigations may lead to recalls or software updates to address identified safety concerns.