Last December, a Tesla slammed into the rear of a police cruiser in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and authorities believe the electric model was in Autopilot at the time of the collision.
Court documents reveal that the Tesla hit the Massachusetts State Police cruiser while it was stopped in the left lane of the road having just pulled over a Lexus RX being driven by 21-year-old Maria Smith. The Tesla hit the Ford police vehicle with enough force that it was propelled into the RX, damaging its rear end and shattering the rear window.
NBC Boston reports that in the moments after the crash, a trooper spoke with Tesla driver Nicholas Ciarlone. He apparently said that the car had its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system enabled and that he “must not have been paying attention.”
A Weston man driving a Tesla slammed into a Mass. State Police cruiser that was stopped https://t.co/kjAbaQabsG
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) June 30, 2020
A spokeswoman from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has confirmed the agency is aware of the crash and is gathering details from both Tesla and law enforcement.
“All forms of distracted driving — including by drivers who abuse their vehicles’ advanced safety features — are dangerous and put the driver and other road users at risk,” it said in a statement.
Auto safety watchdog Sean Kane believes Autopilot gives Tesla owners a false sense of security.
“You can’t call something ‘Autopilot’ and then have the driver fully engaged. That doesn’t make any sense at all,” he said. “Unfortunately, the regulators are allowing it to happen right before their eyes.”