- Five accidents involving Comma’s autonomous system have been reported.
- The crashes led to a total of 14 injuries, including three that were fatal.
- NHTSA believes the system may not have correctly detected or analyzed other cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into the aftermarket driver-assistance devices sold by the U.S. firm, Comma, revealing they have been involved in several crashes involving stopped or slow-moving vehicles, which resulted in three fatalities.
Although Comma is not a household name, it has been around for more than a decade. It was founded in 2015 by George Holz, the first man to famously jailbreak the iPhone and the PlayStation 3. At the time of the company’s launch, many car manufacturers and industry experts believed that fully autonomous vehicles were just around the corner, and Holz wanted to get in on the action.
Watch: Hacker Gives Away DIY Semi-Autonomous Software For Free, NHTSA Not Happy
His idea was to launch an aftermarket device that could plug into a vehicle’s ODB-II port and make it autonomous. He initially pivoted from building and selling these devices himself and instead released the code for his technology, allowing other tech wizards to assemble and use their own devices. Comma is now selling its own hardware, called the Comma Four. The system apparently supports more than 325 models from 27 different brands and, in the U.S. alone, is said to be used by more than 30,000 drivers.
It all sounds genius, but the system has captured the attention of NHTSA, and not for the right reasons. Earlier this week, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) announced a preliminary evaluation into Comma’s products after receiving five reports of crashes with the devices installed.
Injuries And Deaths
Comma Four
The agency says it’s aware of five crashes where the system was powered on or engaged at the time. These crashes caused injuries to 14 people, and two of the crashes resulted in three deaths.
The ODI indicates that the Comma Four system may not have adequately detected or responded to vehicles in these accidents. Through the Preliminary Evaluation, the agency will analyze data from each incident to “evaluate system performance and safeguards that are intended to ensure safe operation of vehicles equipped with Comma devices.”
