The Tesla Association of Detectors of Automatically Driven Autonomous Vehicles. The 2016-2017 Collision Sustained by the Elusive Tesla Electronics and Safety

NHTSA has dispatched investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016 in which the agency suspects the vehicles were running on an automated system. At least 17 people have been killed.

Increased prominence of visual alert on the user interface, simpler engagement and disengagement of autosteer, additional checks upon engaging autosteer, and eventual suspension from autosteer are some of the additional controls to be added.

An investigation found the method of ensuring drivers are paying attention was inadequate, and can lead to foreseeable misuse of the system.

The documents said the update included additional controls and alerts to encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility.

Autopilot includes features called Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control, with Autosteer intended for use on limited access freeways when it’s not operating with a more sophisticated feature called Autosteer on City Streets.

Auto safety advocates for years have been calling for stronger regulation of the driver monitoring system, which mainly detects whether a driver’s hands are on the steering wheel.

Tesla says on its website that Autopilot and a more sophisticated Full Self Driving system cannot drive autonomously and are meant to help drivers who have to be ready to intervene at all times. The test of Full Self Driving is taking place on public roads.

In its statement Wednesday, NHTSA said the Tesla investigation remains open “as we monitor the efficacy of Tesla’s remedies and continue to work with the automaker to ensure the highest level of safety.”