A serious accident on California's I-80 has reignited concerns over the safety of driver-assist systems. A Tesla driver, who crashed into parked California Highway Patrol (CHP) vehicles, admitted to authorities that he was asleep while the car was operating in Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode.
The Incident Details
Video released by the CHP shows the Tesla speeding past flares, traffic cones, and emergency lights at the scene of an earlier accident before slamming into the rear of a parked patrol car. Two officers sustained serious injuries in the collision and were transported to a local hospital.
Warnings and Regulatory Scrutiny
The CHP issued a stern warning following the crash, clarifying that despite its marketing name, Full Self-Driving is not fully autonomous. "Technology does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to safely operate their vehicles," the agency stated.
This collision follows a pattern of similar incidents involving parked emergency vehicles. In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot software. The resulting report linked the driver-assist features to hundreds of crashes and dozens of fatalities, concluding that the system failed to ensure adequate driver engagement.
Ongoing Investigations
In response to regulatory pressure, Tesla released a software update in 2023 designed to include more alerts and controls to keep drivers focused. However, NHTSA has since opened a new investigation to determine whether those updates went far enough to mitigate the risks of driver inattention.
