Another Autopilot failure? Tesla Model S crashes into police car and ambulance
A Tesla Model S car, reportedly being driven on the carmaker's own self-driving tech Autopilot, crashed into a police car and an ambulance in United States. The incident has once again raised questions about Tesla's Autopilot system, which has already faced criticism from different corners for failing to prevent incidents like this.
The incident took place in Arizona, when a 23-year old driver of the Tesla Model S lost control and crashed into the vehicles which were tending to a previous crash at the site. The driver, who was sent to hospital after he suffered injuries, reportedly told the cops that his Model S was on Autopilot when the crash took place.
The local authorities took to Twitter saying, "The impact caused the patrol vehicle to collide with the back of an ambulance, but fortunately the occupants of the ambulance weren’t injured."
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The latest incident adds to a long list of Tesla's Autopilot fails in recent times. Tesla’s electric cars, equipped with Autopilot as vehicle assistance system that can detect and evade obstacles, are one of the most advanced passenger vehicles available across the world. But despite its cutting-edge technology, the carmaker has not escaped its share of controversies.
Last month, a Tesla Model 3 car was seen crashing into an overturned truck on a highway in Taiwan. Videos captured by passerby vehicles and CCTV show the car moving at around 110 kmph on the same lane where the truck lay overturned. Then it rams into the vehicle as the driver of the truck watched standing on the side of the road waiting for assistance.
Earlier, US crash investigators faulted Tesla’s Autopilot system and the driver’s distraction by a mobile device for a fatal accident in 2018 and called on Apple. and other mobile phone makers to do more to keep motorists’ attention on the road.
Earlier this week, a German court banned Tesla from advertising its Autopilot saying that the carmaker is misleading consumers. The court said that Tesla improperly claimed the vehicles have “full potential for autonomous driving." The judges also said Tesla wrongly promoted that its cars would be able to self-navigate in cities by the end of 2019.
