Overview
- In Plano, Texas, a Tesla with Full Self-Driving engaged drove through a lowered crossing gate as a DART train approached, prompting the driver to floor the accelerator to clear the tracks.
- Dashcam video published by Storyful shows the car crossing under the barrier with the train seconds behind, and the driver walked away shaken but unhurt.
- Full Self-Driving is a Level 2 driver-assist feature that requires hands-on supervision, and Tesla markets it as seven times safer than the average U.S. driver without releasing the underlying data.
- Tesla took the owner’s car for repairs as it investigates, and it began rolling out FSD v14.3 the next day with a claimed 20% faster reaction time and better handling of objects that extend into the lane.
- NHTSA has an open probe into FSD after dozens of incidents and injuries, and Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal have urged a targeted review of the system’s behavior at rail crossings.