A federal auto industry regulator is looking into a fatal crash involving a Tesla vehicle that led to three deaths.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Wednesday it had opened an investigation into a May 12 crash in California. The investigation is specifically focused on the role of the vehicle’s autopilot in the crash.
The 2022 Tesla Model S was heading east in Newport Beach when it hit a curb and struck construction equipment. The crash killed three people inside the vehicle and injured three construction workers.
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Newport Beach police declined to comment on whether the vehicle had autopilot on at the time of the crash.
The NHTSA has been investigating Tesla and its autopilot system for some time, announcing in August that it was investigating the system after 11 crashes involving the software occurred. That number has since grown to 30 crashes. The regulatory agency has not verified whether autopilot was active in all crashes. In at least one case, a driver faces charges of manslaughter after his vehicle struck another car while autopilot was active.
The autopilot system is currently available in more than 765,000 Tesla vehicles.
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Tesla’s autopilot system automatically enables a car to steer, accelerate, and brake within its lane. It requires active driver supervision to operate and does not make the vehicle autonomous, Tesla’s website says.
