Tesla On Autopilot Slams Into Connecticut Police Cruiser On I-95

While Elon Musk was celebrating his recent defamation trial victory, yet another Model 3 on Autopilot has done what Model 3s tend to do: slammed into an inanimate object. This particular accident occurred on I-95 near Norfolk, CT when the Tesla, on autopilot, slammed into two vehicles. One vehicle was a Connecticut State Police cruiser, according to ABC.

The driver said that he had put the car in Autopilot because he was checking on his dog in the back seat. Meanwhile, police were on the highway after responding to a report of a disabled vehicle that was occupying a lane.

Troopers were waiting for a tow truck for the disabled vehicle when the 2018 Model 3, traveling Northbound, crashed into the rear of the cruiser before “continuing in the same direction and hitting the disabled vehicle,” according to authorities. 

The car was “finally stopped several hundred feet ahead” by another state trooper. Luckily, no one was seriously injured and the driver was issued a misdemeanor summons for reckless driving and reckless endangerment. 

State police took the accident as an opportunity to remind people that there are no vehicles yet that are fully automated. 

“Regardless of your vehicle’s capabilities, when operating a vehicle your full attention is required at all times to ensure safe driving,” state police concluded.

At one point we were hopeful that the NHTSA would catch on and prevent these instances from continuing to occur by forcing Tesla to recall its Autopilot, but it’s clear there’s no longer reason to hold out hope for what would be an obvious step toward common sense and rational thought – two things that, in the world of Tesla, just don’t seem to exist.