'Self-Driving' Tesla Slams Into Cop Car in Orange County, California

A Tesla successful “self-driving” mode slammed into an unoccupied constabulary car during the aboriginal greeting hours of Thursday, according to the Fullerton Police Department. No 1 was injured successful the crash, but bodycam footage shows a constabulary serviceman sprinting retired of the mode to debar getting hit.

The serviceman successful the footage was managing postulation successful Fullerton astatine the intersection of W. Orangethorpe Ave. and Courtney Ave. aft a deadly postulation mishap involving a motorcyclist, according to a connection posted to Instagram by the Fullerton PD.

“The constabulary conveyance had its exigency lights connected and respective flares were placed connected the roadworthy erstwhile a bluish Tesla crashed into the constabulary vehicle, which was blocking traffic,” the connection reads.

“Thanks to the speedy absorption of the constabulary officer, who spotted the oncoming conveyance and swiftly moved to the broadside of the road, on with the off-duty constabulary dispatcher who was riding with him, a imaginable catastrophe was averted,” the connection continued.

The idiosyncratic down the instrumentality of the Tesla has not been named, but constabulary accidental helium admitted to being connected his cellphone during the crash, according to KTLA. The section TV quality presumption aired footage of the aftermath, showing the wrecked Tesla and the constabulary vehicle.

The sanction of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) diagnostic was precocious changed to Full Self-Driving (Supervised), successful an effort to marque it wide that drivers should not trust connected the exertion to support them harmless from crashes. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk has surely been sending mixed messages connected that front, including just yesterday astatine the Tesla shareholder’s gathering successful Austin, Texas, wherever the billionaire touted conscionable however harmless FSD is expected to be.

Tesla did not respond to an email for remark astir the accident. Tesla has antecedently defended itself from allegations that FSD isn’t harmless by pointing to disclaimers that authorities drivers should ever beryllium paying attraction to the road.

“This incidental underscores the value of alertness and liable driving,” Fullerton PD wrote, “Even successful situations wherever the roadworthy is blocked and exigency lights are on.”