Tesla Model S Hits Police SUV With Autopilot Mode Allegedly Engaged

A Tesla Model S with its Autopilot function reportedly engaged, collided with a parked police vehicle in Laguna Beach earlier this week. The impact resulted in the Tesla driver suffering minor injuries, while the police car was unoccupied.

The accident took place on Laguna Canyon Road and according to authorities, the Tesla was driving autonomously when it made contact with the Ford SUV. Investigators are however still examining what happened, reports ABC7.

At this time, it’s unclear what the driver of the Model S was doing prior to the accident, but a spokesperson for Tesla had this to say:

“Tesla has always been clear that Autopilot doesn’t make the car impervious to all accidents, and before a driver can use Autopilot, they must accept a dialogue box which states that ‘Autopilot is designed for use on highways that have a center divider and clear lane markings.”

Accidents of this nature have been piling up recently. Earlier this month, another Model S collided with a parked firetruck in Utah, with Autopilot also engaged at the time of the incident. However, the Model S that crashed into a pond in Castro Valley California last week wasn’t operating autonomously.

Either way, the Laguna Beach crash further demonstrates the notion that some Tesla owners just aren’t educated enough with regards to what their vehicle is capable of doing while the Autopilot system is operational.

This morning a Tesla sedan driving outbound Laguna Canyon Road in “autopilot” collides with a parked @LagunaBeachPD unit. Officer was not in the unit at the time of the crash and minor injuries were sustained to the Tesla driver. #lagunabeach #police #tesla pic.twitter.com/7sAs8VgVQ3

— Laguna Beach PD PIO (@LBPD_PIO_45) May 29, 2018