Tesla on Autopilot crashes into parked police car
- A Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot enabled crashed into a parked police car on Saturday. The driver was reportedly checking on his dog in the backseat when the crash occurred.
- The crash happened on Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut. The police car was stationary behind a disabled vehicle, with flashers on and road flares behind it.
- No one was injured in the crash, but it's the latest such example of Tesla cars with Autopilot crashing into things; one such crash in 2018 resulted in the driver's death.
- Connecticut State Police issued the following statement to potential Autopilot users: "Regardless of your vehicles capabilities, when operating a vehicle your full attention is required at all times to ensure safe driving."
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A Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot engaged crashed into a stationary police car on the Connecticut highway on Saturday morning.
The Model 3's driver was checking on his dog in the backseat with Autopilot engaged when the Tesla sedan crashed into a police cruiser that had stopped to assist a driver with a disabled vehicle, according to Connecticut State Police. The police cruiser had its emergency lights on, and road flares were placed behind it.
No one was injured in the crash, Connecticut State Police reported in a statement. After the Tesla Model 3 ran into the parked police cruiser, it continued moving and struck the disabled vehicle as well.
Notably, the Autopilot feature on Tesla's cars isn't intended to be used as a replacement for actual driving.
"Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous," Tesla's website says.
That warning isn't stopping some Tesla owners from using the feature regardless, of course. Tesla drivers have repeatedly been caught napping while driving on Autopilot.
And though sleeping may not have been the cause in either case, at least two fatal crashes have occurred involving Tesla's running on Autopilot.
Connecticut State Police issued a warning to potential Autopilot users: "Regardless of your vehicles capabilities, when operating a vehicle your full attention is required at all times to ensure safe driving."