John Gardella was recently quoted in an article published by the Teslarati publication that discussed a new safety feature that Tesla is introducing in its vehicles. The safety feature automatically slows down Tesla vehicles when the vehicle detects a stationary emergency vehicle on the side of the road.  Writer Simon Alvarez takes a deep dive into the benefits of the safety feature, as well as some of the controversy over automated vehicle safety features in his article, “Tesla Autopilot’s Emergency Vehicle Response Feature Is Addressing a Deadly Problem No One Wants To Talk About.” Attorney Gardella’s insights pertained to whether Tesla would be able to implement the emergency vehicle response safety feature with ease, or whether the NHTSA would prevent Tesla from rolling out the safety feature.

Attorney Gardella’s insights in the article were:

“John Gardella, a shareholder at CMBG3 Law in Boston, MA, told Teslarati that if the NHTSA really wishes to help roll out new safety features, it would actually be a lot easier than one might imagine.

‘Implementing the safety feature in Tesla’s vehicles will be easier than one might imagine. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed earlier in 2021 through its final rule for safety features for automated driving systems that it does not wish to set onerous standards prior to many features for automated driving system (ADS) vehicles coming to market. In fact, the desire of the NHTSA was to reduce barriers to having ADS safety features come to market more rapidly, and thereby accelerate autonomous vehicles coming to mass markets. The NHTSA received some criticism for its approach. However, the NHTSA does still have the authority to interpret the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), investigate perceived defects or unreasonably safe vehicle features, and carry out its enforcement authority, including recall power,’ Gardella said.”