Tesla Model S on autopilot rams fire truck in Culver City.
Culver City firefighters reported a road accident on Monday morning. A Tesla Model S vehicle running on Autopilot mode crashed into a fire truck that was summoned to an accident on the 405th Freeway. The car was completely wrecked, but the vehicle occupant escaped without a scratch.
We Rely on Too Much on Tesla Model S’s Autopilot
According to Ken Powell, the Culver City Fire Department Battalion Chief, the incident occurred on Monday morning on the 405th freeway. Earlier that day a fire truck has been summoned on the highway following a vehicle accident.
While attempting to extricate the victim of a recent car crash, the firefighter noticed a vehicle speeding towards the fire truck. Powell said that the car was probably going at 65 mph prior to the crash. Note that the fire truck involved in the incident was blocking the road in order to cordon off the area.
Seconds later, a speeding Tesla Models S vehicle crashed into the back of the fire truck. The emergency responders managed to extricate the vehicle’s occupant from the right seat and to transport him to the nearest medical facility.
Fortunately, the occupant suffered non-life-threatening injuries. As for the vehicles involved in the crash, the fire truck was severely damaged following the event and was towed back to the fire station for repairs. The Tesla Models S car was damaged beyond repairs.
The authorities determined that the vehicle was running on Autopilot prior to the crash, but the occupant did not supervise it.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Tesla’s Autopilot failed during a road test. In 2016 a Dutch driver was killed after his Tesla S Model vehicle running on Autopilot crashed in a tree. During the same year, another Tesla rammed another car in Florida, making the authorities question the safety of Tesla’s self-driving technology.
Image source: Wikipedia
