A Tesla Model S driver who was using his phone while behind the wheel said he was using the car’s semi-autonomous driving technology when it crashed into a police car in a fatal crash.
The LA Times reported the accident occurred last week in Fullerton – about 43km southeast of downtown LA – when a police officer was investigating a fatal collision between a car and a motorbike about halfway through night.
Although the police car’s flashing lights were activated and emergency flares were placed on the road to warn traffic of the previous incident, Tesla Model S allegedly approached the scene at a relentless speed and crashed into the patrol car.
Both the police officer and the dispatcher near the patrol car were lucky to escape injury and were able to get out of the way before the collision.
According to the publication, the Tesla driver cooperated with police officers and claimed that they were using the ‘Full Self-Driving’ semi-autonomous driving system in their vehicle while using their cell phone before the incident. accident.
Tesla markets its Full Self-Driving feature – technically a Level 2 autopilot system, despite its name – as having the ability to accelerate, brake and steer itself, with the system said to have the ability to navigate, change lanes and follow the instructions of road signals.
However, the owner’s manual warns drivers to be ready to take control at any time – in an emergency or in case the technology fails – and against using mobile phones while driving. Vehicles in semi-automatic mode are also prohibited.
While it is yet to be confirmed whether Full Self-Driving was involved in this case, there have been numerous incidents in the US where Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving systems – including its ‘Autopilot software’ ‘ less likely – blamed for parking lot crashes. police car.
In February 2021, one Tesla Model X The driver believed to be using Autopilot crashed into a parked police car at 87km/h (54mph), killing five police officers and a motorcyclist who they had stopped minutes earlier injured.
Last year, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) actively investigated at least 16 accidents involving Tesla semi-autonomous vehicles and emergency vehicles.
According to the road safety regulator, six of these accidents occurred while the parked vehicle’s emergency lights were flashing.
While these investigations were ongoing, Tesla won several high-profile lawsuits against it for fatal crashes involving its Autopilot system.
In July 2023, a court found that the driver of a Tesla Model S who ran a red light and killed two people in a crash was at fault for the incident, not the active Autopilot system at that time.
This is next in November because Tesla was also cleared of fault in another fatal accident. This involves one Model 3 The driver was killed after the electric sedan went off the road and crashed into a tree at 105 km/h, which also had autopilot mode engaged.
There have also been cases where drivers caused collisions and initially blamed semi-automatic technology but later admitted being at fault.
Last monthThe driver of a Tesla Model 3 that hit a nurse in Melbourne two years ago has finally admitted fault for the incident after she initially blamed the car’s Autopilot system and was sentenced to nine months in prison.
