The incident occurred around midnight on October 13 on Interstate 80 near Fairfield, Solano County, California. A Tesla vehicle struck a parked California Highway Patrol cruiser at a crash scene, leaving two officers with serious injuries. The driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, sustained minor injuries and was later released from the hospital.
According to the driver, he was asleep while the Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature was active. However, authorities noted that this claim has not yet been verified by system data logs. The patrol car was stationary at an active accident site marked by flares, traffic cones, and emergency vehicles with flashing lights when the collision occurred.
California Highway Patrol officials emphasized that FSD is a Level 2 driver-assistance system under SAE standards, requiring constant human supervision. Drivers are expected to remain alert and ready to take control at all times. Tesla classifies the feature as 'supervised Full Self-Driving,' explicitly prohibiting the use of the system while sleeping.
This event has renewed scrutiny regarding driver monitoring systems in automated driving technology. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously investigated collisions between Tesla's Autopilot and emergency vehicles, leading to a 2023 recall. Regulators are currently evaluating the effectiveness of those safety measures, though no specific conclusions have been drawn regarding this latest incident.
