The California Highway Patrol released dashcam footage showing a Tesla colliding with a stationary patrol vehicle on Interstate 80. The incident occurred late on October 13 near Fairfield, Solano County, while police were investigating an earlier fatal crash at the same location.
The 22-year-old driver from Sacramento reported that he had fallen asleep while the vehicle was operating in Full Self-Driving mode. The Tesla entered a closed lane, struck the patrol car, and pushed it into a tow truck. Two officers were hospitalized with serious injuries but have since been discharged.
The California Highway Patrol emphasized that Full Self-Driving is a driver-assist feature requiring constant supervision rather than a fully autonomous system. The agency reminded motorists that they remain responsible for vehicle control and must stay alert, especially when approaching emergency scenes.
This incident follows a history of federal scrutiny regarding Tesla's driver-assist systems and emergency vehicles. In 2023, Tesla recalled over 2 million vehicles to implement software updates aimed at improving driver attention monitoring after investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
