Driver Watching Movie in Tesla Crashes into Police Car in Zebulon, North Carolina
ZEBULON, NC- A driver in a Tesla was using the car's autopilot feature when he crashed the Tesla into a police car.*
Prior to the Tesla crash, the State Highway Patrol and Nash County officers were on the site of an earlier collision on US Highway 64. The Tesla struck a deputy's car. Two troopers were pushed to the ground, however, there are no reported injuries.
Now the man who was driving the Tesla is facing charges for watching television while driving, and for violating the state's move-over law.
Autopilot is a feature equipped in some Tesla vehicles that is meant to help drivers maintain their lanes and the distance between their car and others on the roadway. The technology is even equipped to complete lane changes.
This crash has similarities to one that took place in Arizona just one month ago when a man in a Tesla who was using Autopilot collided with a police SUV leading to that vehicle crashing into an ambulance. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there have been more than twelve collisions involving the system.
Tesla has always maintained that its vehicles are not self-driving and that drivers must pay attention to the road whenever they are using the autopilot feature. Tesla also stresses that the autopilot feature improves vehicle safety, but only if it is used correctly.
Tesla has also faced safety concerns over its batteries, which sometimes catch fire. The high profile company has been criticized after some gruesome publicized deaths involving Tesla vehicles. In one crash, a driver tragically died after being trapped in a burning car after striking a tree in Florida.
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Sources:
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-08-28/patrol-tesla-autopilot-driver-was-watching-movie-crashed
https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tesla-cars-catch-on-fire-2019-4