A Tesla, apparently on autopilot, ran into a parked police car near the city of Orlando early Saturday morning. It’s not the first accident of its kind.
Another accident with a Tesla apparently switched to autopilot makes headlines: early Saturday morning, a US company car rammed into a parked police patrol on a highway near the city of Orlando. The policeman had stopped to help a broken down vehicle. It was only just missed by the Tesla.
As the news agency “AP” reports, the blue lights of the police car were switched on. The Tesla first collided with the left side of the vehicle and then hit the broken-down car. According to the report, the officer was unharmed. The 27-year-old Tesla driver and the driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries.
Eleven accidents since 2018
Accidents of this kind have caused quite a stir recently. Since 2018, US authorities have recorded eleven incidents in which Tesla’s autopilot steered into parked blue-light vehicles such as ambulances or fire engines – four of them between the end of February and mid-July of this year alone. 17 people were injured in the accidents and one person died.
The US National Road Safety Authority (NHTSA) recently opened an investigation to investigate the cause of the accidents. It is noticeable that all parked vehicles were clearly recognizable. Blue lights, switched on light panels or pylons warned of possible dangers. There is therefore a suspicion that Tesla’s self-driving function could have been disrupted by one or more of these factors.
In the USA, the National Transportation Safety Board is also involved in investigating the Tesla accidents. Lastly, she recommended limiting the use of the autopilot to areas in which it could operate safely. In addition, Testa was advised to take measures to ensure that drivers have an even more careful eye on what is happening on the road.
Tesla advises drivers themselves that they must have their hands on the steering wheel at all times. They should also be ready to take control of the vehicle at any time. Nevertheless, videos on social media show that drivers do not always take these guidelines so carefully – and, for example, take their hands off the handlebars for minutes.
According to the AP, Tesla has not yet responded to a request about the current accident.
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