The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Comma.ai, an aftermarket technology company. The probe stems from reports of five crashes involving vehicles equipped with Comma.ai's driver-assist devices. These incidents resulted in three deaths and injuries to 11 other individuals, some of whom sustained serious harm. The crashes reportedly occurred when vehicles using Comma.ai systems failed to detect or respond to vehicles that were stopped or moving slowly in the same lane of travel. Preliminary data suggests that the Comma.ai system may not have adequately perceived these in-lane vehicles. The NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation initiated this Preliminary Evaluation on September 21. Comma.ai's devices are designed to augment existing vehicle capabilities, offering features such as automated speed control and steering. The company sells these devices directly to consumers, providing setup instructions. The company's Openpilot software system is a key component of its offerings, which uses a neural network trained on millions of miles of driving data. The investigation will examine incidents involving the Comma.ai devices and its Openpilot software, with a specific focus on crashes involving slower or stopped vehicles or other hazards within a lane. The NHTSA aims to obtain data to verify the system status for each incident and evaluate its performance and safeguards. Regulators are also looking into whether modified versions of Comma.ai's software, known as forks, were involved in any of the incidents, including at least one fatal crash. This is not the first time Comma.ai has faced scrutiny from regulators. In 2016, the NHTSA demanded that the company provide proof of safety for its proposed Comma One device, or risk having its sale blocked. At that time, Comma.ai stated it was redirecting its efforts to other products and markets. The California Department of Motor Vehicles also issued a cease-and-desist letter to Comma.ai in 2016. The NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board have previously investigated crashes linked to failures of advanced driver assistance systems in identifying stopped or slow-moving vehicles. In March, the NTSB criticized Ford Motor's BlueCruise system for similar issues leading to fatal collisions. In 2023, Tesla recalled over two million vehicles to improve driver attention monitoring in its Autopilot system following an NHTSA probe into crashes involving stationary emergency vehicles. A spokesperson for Comma.ai could not be immediately reached for comment. The company's website states that its products require the driver to remain alert and ready to take over control at all times.