On Saturday morning, a 2019 Tesla Model 3 crashed into a state police car and a Mercedes SUV. The driver said that she was using the autopilot function at the time of the accident.
The news comes as Tesla’s autopilot-the advanced driver assistance system for electric vehicles-is facing increasing scrutiny for its safety.
An investigation is ongoing to determine whether Autopilot caused the crash.
A statement from the Florida Highway Patrol stated that the officer stopped and parked their car to help the 2012 Mercedes GLK parked on the side of the road.
When Tesla crashed into the car, the police officer was outside the car. Tesla’s front right hit the police car’s rear left, and then hit a Mercedes-Benz.
No one was injured in the accident.
After Tesla repeatedly hit emergency vehicles and caused casualties, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration conducted a public investigation into Tesla’s autopilot function.
This also led Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts to request the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Tesla’s autonomous driving capabilities.
The Autopilot feature requires a person to be conscious and still behind the steering wheel, but sometimes it may be too late to prevent collisions caused by the system.
.@NHTSAgov survey @Tesla Emergency vehicle collision accidents related to autopilot: https://t.co/pZclfdp6Un pic.twitter.com/Qfl6memO0U
— Car and Driver (@CARandDRIVER) August 27, 2021
