zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Tech
/
Tesla Driver Who Slammed Into Parked Firetruck On California Freeway Says Car Was On Autopilot (UPDATED)
Tesla Driver Who Slammed Into Parked Firetruck On California Freeway Says Car Was On Autopilot (UPDATED)-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:38

A Tesla Model S driver smashed into the back of a parked firetruck Monday morning, according to California fire officials, and claims the car was in its semi-autonomous Autopilot mode when it happened.

The car hit a truck around 8:30 a.m. Monday on Interstate 405 in Culver City, according to the union representing firefighters in the city.

“Amazingly there were no injuries!” the union said on Twitter. “Please stay alert while driving!”

The California Highway Patrol and Culver City Fire Department that a Tesla hit a fire truck, but neither could say whether the vehicle had been on Autopilot. The fire truck was situated in the left emergency lane, blocking the scene of a previous accident, the newspaper reported, when the Tesla-involved crash occurred.

When reached Tuesday morning by Jalopnik, a Tesla spokesperson reiterated the company’s official line on Autopilot.

“Autopilot is intended for use only with a fully attentive driver,” a Tesla spokesperson said.

Autopilot is a suite of advanced driving assistance features, including adaptive cruise control and Autosteer, which keeps the car driving within a lane. It’s unclear if the car slowed down before the crash.

Culver City Fire Department battalion chief Ken Powell told the Mercury News the Model S suffered significant damage. Luckily, no firefighters were at the rear of the vehicle at the time of the crash. From the Mercury News:

Had any firefighters been at the rear of the truck rather than in front attending to the earlier crash, there “probably would not have been a very good outcome,” Powell said.

“It was a pretty big hit,” Powell said.

The Tesla driver refused medical attention, the newspaper reported.

Tesla’s automated driving features have been in the news time and again since mid-2016, after getting in an accident while his car was traveling in Autopilot. In part, the driver for relying too much on Autopilot, as well as Tesla for allowing the feature to be used on roads that may not be suitable for automated driving.

We say it often, but again: if you do in fact use driver aids like this, please, please, pay attention to the road.

The NTSB has weighed in and said it’s now gathering information about the crash, :

The U.S. is gathering information about an accident involving a Model S sedan that rear-ended a firetruck on a freeway near Los Angeles on Monday, the agency said.

The safety agency has not yet decided whether it will open a formal investigation of the crash, NTSB spokesman Chris O’Neil said in an email.

Now, an official investigation is underway, America’s top auto regulator is also getting involved, :

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Tech
Uber Knowingly Leased Unsafe Honda Vezels To Drivers: Report
Uber Knowingly Leased Unsafe Honda Vezels To Drivers: Report
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is engineering a bid to reassume power at the ride-hailing giant, but a new report could derail his effort before it really gets off the ground: Uber knowingly leased defective Honda Vezels to prospective drivers without getting the necessary repairs, . Back in 2013, Uber...
Apr 5, 2026
Advertisers Will Inundate Your Future Autonomous Car With Ads Because Of Course They Will
Advertisers Will Inundate Your Future Autonomous Car With Ads Because Of Course They Will
Ah, man, you see that up there? The Volkwsagen ? Imaging hitting the road in this adorable little guy someday. The Future’s going great and you’re relaxing in Sedric while it carts your non-driving ass around town. Life’s peachy. Sure, that is, if you enjoy being held captive for a...
Apr 5, 2026
Why We Can't Ignore Self-Driving Commercial Trucks Any Longer
Why We Can't Ignore Self-Driving Commercial Trucks Any Longer
Lawmakers in the U.S. Congress are working on legislation to regulate the testing and deployment of autonomous cars and trucks across the country. Last week that bill passed a crucial benchmark, receiving unanimous approval in a U.S. house committee. But the measure leaves out large commercial trucks, and that’s probably...
Apr 5, 2026
Google Didn't Actually Pay City To Use Emergency Vehicles In Driverless Car Test (Updated)
Google Didn't Actually Pay City To Use Emergency Vehicles In Driverless Car Test (Updated)
, Google’s driverless car developing unit, conducted an “emergency vehicle testing day” in the city of Chandler, Arizona last month to help driverless cars better understand the sights and sounds of police cars and fire trucks. Now, documents and interviews with the city and Waymo reveal Waymo did not pay...
Apr 5, 2026
Tesla Warns Already Burnt-Out Workforce Of Model 3 ‘Production Hell’
Tesla Warns Already Burnt-Out Workforce Of Model 3 ‘Production Hell’
When Tesla chief executive Elon Musk handed over the first 30 Model 3 sedans to reservation holders last Friday, he warned employees they’ll be in “production hell” for the next several months. It was a curious remark, as Tesla employees have been voicing concerns about workplace injuries since earlier this...
Apr 5, 2026
Humans Don't Handle Abrupt Braking In Autonomous Cars Very Well
Humans Don't Handle Abrupt Braking In Autonomous Cars Very Well
Do you love that sensation of suddenly being hurled forward when you have to abruptly slam on the brakes? If you’re in a self-driving car, the effect’s apparently even more dramatic, researchers from the University of Michigan announced Thursday. People have a tendency to jolt forward as much as 8...
Apr 5, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved