Federal regulators in the U.S. have opened a new investigation into Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) after one of its Model Y vehicles crashed into a stationary police car in Michigan while operating in autopilot mode.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration was already investigating an unrelated Tesla collision in Detroit less than a week ago. Autopilot is Tesla’s driver assistance system that comes standard with all of its newer model vehicles.
In the latest crash, a Tesla that was operating in autopilot mode struck a police officer’s blue Dodge Charger sedan as troopers were investigating a crash between a deer and a different vehicle, according to a social media post by the Michigan State Police. The police car was parked and partially sitting in the right lane of a highway with its emergency lights on at the time of the crash.
This is the latest in a string of accidents involving Tesla’s all-electric cars that have drawn criticism from vehicle safety advocates and probes by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. This was also the second collision involving a Tesla vehicle in Michigan in the past week.
Officials said no injuries were sustained by the officers or the 22-year-old driver of the Tesla, who was issued citations for failure to move over and driving with a suspended license. The NHTSA had previously opened probes into more than a dozen crashes that were thought to involve Tesla’s advanced driver assist systems, including autopilot.
Tesla’s systems include a standard autopilot package. A more advanced option marketed as full self-driving is sold today for $10,000. The company’s autopilot and full self-driving technology do not make Tesla vehicles safe for operation without a driver at the wheel.
Some customers who purchase the full self-driving option also get access to a "beta" version to try the newest features that are being added to the system before all the bugs are worked out.
Tesla’s autopilot system, while it has changed significantly over the years, has been the subject of regulatory scrutiny since 2016 when an owner in Florida died while driving his Tesla Model S with autopilot engaged.
Tech Insider
