A 2019 Tesla Model 3 crashed into a Florida Highway Patrol car in Orlando on the morning of August 28, 2021. No injuries were reported.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
The driver of a 2019 Tesla Model 3 told officers she was using the autopilot, Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, when she collided with a police car and a Mercedes SUV on Saturday morning around 5 p.m. in the morning in Orlando, Florida.
No injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the incident.
The investigation into the causes of the accident has not yet been completed. It remains to be determined whether the Tesla autopilot caused or contributed to the incident.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) statement, at the time of the incident, a soldier had stopped to help a driver the 2012 Mercedes GLK 350 was turned off next to Interstate 4 (I-4) in Orlando. The soldier had already got out of his parked police vehicle, a 2018 Dodge Charger, by the time the Tesla Model 3 collided with it.
A 2019 Tesla Model 3 driver attacked a Florida Highway Patrol car in Orlando, Florida on August 28, 2021. The driver told police he was using autopilot at the time of the crash. accident.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
The right front of the Tesla crashed into the left side of the police car and then hit the Mercedes SUV.
According to emails to CNBC and an FHP press release on Saturday, police are notifying Tesla and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration of the incident.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The crash comes amid federal scrutiny of Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems.
As previously reported by CNBC, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla’s autopilot function after determining that the system had been used in a series of Tesla vehicle collisions. of first response which resulted in 17 injuries and one mortality in the past. few years.
Following the revelation of this investigation, two Democratic senators, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Tesla’s claims about its autopilot and full-driving capabilities.
A Tesla driver attacked a Florida Highway Patrol parked car and an SUV in Orlando. An investigation is underway. The driver told police he was using autopilot.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
Tesla includes autopilot as a standard offering on all of its newer vehicles. The company also sells a premium driver assistance system, which is sold under the nickname Full Self-Driving (FSD). The FSD costs $ 10,000 in advance or $ 199 a month for U.S. subscribers
Both autopilot and FSD require drivers to be alert to the steering wheel at all times. They do not make Tesla vehicles autonomous.