A Tesla Model Y slammed into a Michigan State Police patrol car early this morning, while reportedly on Autopilot.
According to police, troopers from the Lansing post responded to a collision between a vehicle and a deer a little after 1 a.m. As they were investigating, a Model Y crashed into their Dodge Charger which was partially blocking the right lane and had its emergency lights on.
As you can see in the photos, both vehicles suffered extensive damage as the Charger’s rear bumper, rear driver’s side door and rear fender were destroyed in the crash. The Model Y, on the other hand, received a gash on the passenger side that runs from the front bumper to the A-pillar.
Also Read: Tesla Model S On Autopilot Crashes Into Dodge Police Car, Driver Admits To Watching A Movie
Despite the damage, police said no one was injured. That’s good news, but the 22 year old Tesla driver was cited for failure to move over and driving on a suspended license. The former is a civil infraction that carries a $400 (£286 / €333) fine and two points on a person’s driving record, considering no one was injured. Driving on a suspended license is also bad as it reportedly carries a maximum sentence of up to $500 (£358 / €417) in fines and up to 93 days in jail for a first offense.
It remains unclear why the crash occurred, but Lt. Brian Oleksyk told CNBC the driver said Autopilot was on. Of course, that’s no excuse for not paying attention and a more thorough investigation would likely be needed to confirm Autopilot was engaged.
Needless to say, Autopilot is not a fully autonomous driving system and Tesla notes the technology requires “active driver supervision” That being said, Tesla has questionably marketed Autopilot and some owners seem oblivious to its limitations.
This has had fatal consequences as we’ve seen a number of crashes that might have been avoided if Tesla drivers were simply paying attention. The government has investigated a handful of these incidents and National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt pointedly noted “If you are selling a car with an advanced driver assistance system, you’re not selling a self-driving car. If you are driving a car with an advanced driver assistance system, you don’t own a self-driving car.”
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