Crashes involving Tesla vehicles that were reportedly operating in Full Self-Driving mode have garnered plenty of headlines this month.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a 71-year-old man, who was crossing Interstate 80 in Vallejo, Calif., was killed when a Tesla struck him in the early-morning hours on Oct. 22. The driver of the Tesla told authorities that he had been operating in Full Self-Driving mode at the time of the crash, the Times reported.
It was at least the second crash this month involving a self-driving Tesla in California.
The California Highway Patrol reported that a Tesla driver was asleep when his vehicle struck a patrol vehicle occupied by two officers.
Officers were investigating a fatal crash on I-80 eastbound on Oct. 13 when a Tesla “traveling at freeway speed” entered closed lanes and collided with a patrol vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP said the lanes were closed with flares and cones. Additionally, several emergency vehicles were at the scene with emergency lights flashing. Officials said that the two officers sustained serious injuries but were recovering. The Tesla driver also suffered minor injuries.
Despite the name “Full Self-Driving mode,” Tesla says that the feature still “requires a fully attentive driver and will display a series of escalating warnings requiring a driver response.”
In a Facebook post, the California Highway Patrol reiterated that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode is not fully autonomous.
“Technology does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to safely operate their vehicles,” the CHP wrote. “Distracted and inattentive driving can have devastating consequences. Slow down. Move over. Stay alert. Lives depend on it.”
Another fatal crash involving a Tesla took place on Oct. 22 in North Carolina.
According to WYFF Channel 4 in Greenville, S.C., a Tesla was traveling the wrong way on Interstate 26 in Buncombe County, N.C., when it hit a Honda SUV head-on before colliding with a Honda passenger car. One passenger was killed in the crash.
Bradley Lanier, the driver of the Tesla, was reportedly charged with driving while impaired, felony death by vehicle, felony serious injury and reckless driving.
When Land Line asked the North Carolina Highway Patrol if the Tesla was utilizing Full Self-Driving mode at the time of the crash, an official said that information would not be released at this time and that the crash is still being investigated.
The trio of crashes comes months after Tesla announced that it plans to have its self-driving system operational on the Tesla Semi by the end of this year or early next year.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently opened the door for the potential deployment of more self-driving trucks when it granted an exemption that allows autonomous trucking companies to fulfill a “warning device” regulation without needing a driver. LL