This Saturday, a Tesla that was operated with the advanced assisted driving system (ADAS), popularly known as ‘automatic pilot’, crashed into a police patrol and a private vehicle that were detained on a highway in the US city of Orlando, in the state of Florida, said the local Highway Patrol.
According to authorities, the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when one of the officers stopped to help the driver of a broken down car. Although the patrol turret was on, the driver of the Tesla Model 3 “could not see” to the cars that were stopped, for which it ended up crashing into the rear of the left side of the official vehicle, as well as the front of the one receiving assistance.
Happening now: Orange County. Trooper stopped to help a disabled motorist on I-4. When Tesla driving on “auto” mode struck the patrol car. Trooper was outside of car and extremely lucky to have not been struck. #moveover. WB lanes of I-4 remain block as scene is being cleared. pic.twitter.com/w9N7cE4bAR
– FHP Orlando (@FHPOrlando) August 28, 2021
According reported Lt. Kim Montes, spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol, the drivers involved in the accident suffered minor injuries after the impact, while the uniformed man was unharmed. It also pointed out that the competent authorities have already begun investigations to determine the cause of the incident.
Faced with growing reports of accidents involving Tesla cars that are operated on autopilot, some of them fatal, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced in mid-September. This month it will open an investigation to evaluate the safety of the ADAS in the Y, X, S, and 3 models produced by the firm between 2014 and 2021.
