Tesla on Autopilot Crashes Into Michigan State Police Vehicle

Raindrops are seen next to the Tesla logo on the bonnet of a Tesla electric car in Berlin'
David Gannon/AFP via Getty Images

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:

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.

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