Aftermarket devices that can boost or augment a vehicle’s advanced driver assistance systems are now under scrutiny by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The investigation follows five crashes involving devices from comma.ai, where drivers using these systems crashed into stationary or slow-moving vehicles, resulting in three deaths and 11 injuries. The incidents underscore the risks associated with aftermarket safety technologies.
Comma.ai’s journey began with George Hotz, a tech visionary known for jailbreaking iPhones and hacking PlayStation consoles. In 2015, Hotz turned his attention to partially automated driver assistance systems, aiming to sell his system to Tesla and eventually replace Mobileye as a supplier. However, NHTSA’s inquiries in 2016 led Comma.ai to post its openpilot software and hardware plans on GitHub, allowing anyone to create the devices themselves.
By 2020, Comma.ai’s software and $999 device were rated higher by Consumer Reports than any original equipment manufacturer’s system. Yet, as the company’s software and hardware gained traction, so did the risks highlighted by these recent crashes.
