A Tesla car left on autopilot struck a state trooper’s patrol car early in Lansing, Michigan, Wednesday morning.
At 1:12 AM in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Michigan State Police were investigating a deer-related crash on I-96 in Eaton County when a Tesla allegedly piloted itself directly into the left rear side of a squad car. Fortunately, neither the officer on the scene, nor the 22-year-old driver were reported injured.
The Michigan State Police First District tweeted a brief report, along with photos of the crash:
No injuries to troopers or anyone involved. Driver of the Tesla, a 22 year old man from Lansing was issued citations for failure to move over and DWLS. pic.twitter.com/zTSJOhuJMP
— MSP First District (@MSPFirstDist) March 17, 2021
The unnamed driver was issued citations for failure to move over, as well as driving with a suspended license. But they are far from the first person to be involved in an autopilot-related accident. Elon “Technoking” Musk’s cars have been allegedly responsible for numerous crashes, many of which cited the autopilot as a major contributing factor.
In February 2019, an analysis by Safety Research & Strategies Inc. reported — contrary to statements made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Tesla’s vaunted self-driving feature was responsible for a sharp 60% rise in airbag deployments. Even so, Musk continues to rake in money, recently becoming the richest man in the world.
