Photo: Twitter/Michigan State Police First District
After a Model Y slammed into a stationary police car in Lansing, Michigan, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched another investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot suite.
According to the police, officers responded to a call of an accident involving a deer and had pulled to the side of the road, partially blocking the right lane, with the emergency lights on. A Tesla Model Y slammed into the Dodge Charger patrol car shortly after. Photos of both vehicles were posted on social media, and based on the damage, it looks like the Model Y came at high speed.
After the crash, the driver of the Tesla, a 22-year-old man, told the police that he had the car on Autopilot. The good news is that no one was injured in the accident. The bad news for the Tesla driver is that he was cited for failure to move over and driving on a suspended license.
In a statement to CNBC, the NHTSA says it has launched an investigation into the crash. It’s the second in as many weeks after another Tesla slammed into the side of a semi in Detroit last week. That one, too, was believed to have been traveling on Autopilot at the time of the collision.
“Consistent with NHTSA’s vigilant oversight and robust authority over the safety of all motor vehicles and equipment, including automated technologies, we have launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash,” NHTSA says in the statement.
Despite the name suggesting otherwise, Autopilot doesn’t mean that Teslas can drive themselves. In fact, the company's website states clearly that drivers must keep their eyes on the road and the hands on the wheel at all times. Still, CEO Elon Musk insists that nothing is misleading about the Autopilot name, even though it’s clear that dozens of drivers take it to mean what it sounds like: an automatic pilot for your car, while you do anything else but drive.
After the crash, the driver of the Tesla, a 22-year-old man, told the police that he had the car on Autopilot. The good news is that no one was injured in the accident. The bad news for the Tesla driver is that he was cited for failure to move over and driving on a suspended license.
In a statement to CNBC, the NHTSA says it has launched an investigation into the crash. It’s the second in as many weeks after another Tesla slammed into the side of a semi in Detroit last week. That one, too, was believed to have been traveling on Autopilot at the time of the collision.
“Consistent with NHTSA’s vigilant oversight and robust authority over the safety of all motor vehicles and equipment, including automated technologies, we have launched a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash,” NHTSA says in the statement.
Despite the name suggesting otherwise, Autopilot doesn’t mean that Teslas can drive themselves. In fact, the company's website states clearly that drivers must keep their eyes on the road and the hands on the wheel at all times. Still, CEO Elon Musk insists that nothing is misleading about the Autopilot name, even though it’s clear that dozens of drivers take it to mean what it sounds like: an automatic pilot for your car, while you do anything else but drive.
No injuries to troopers or anyone involved. Driver of the Tesla, a 22 year old man from Lansing was issued citations for failure to move over and DWLS. pic.twitter.com/zTSJOhuJMP
— MSP First District (@MSPFirstDist) March 17, 2021
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