LOS ANGELES — authorities said a Tesla involved in a fatal crash on a Southern California freeway last week was operating on Autopilot at the time. The May 5 crash in Fontana, a city 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The probe is the 29th case involving a Tesla that the agency has responded to. A 35-year-old man was killed when his Tesla Model 3 struck an overturned semi on a freeway at about 2:30 a.m. Another man was seriously injured when the electric vehicle hit him while helping the semi’s driver out of the wreck. The driver’s name has not yet been made public.
On Thursday, the California Highway Patrol, or CHP, announced that the car had been operating Tesla’s partially automated driving system, Autopilot, which has been involved in multiple crashes. The Fontana crash marks at least the fourth U.S. death involving Autopilot. “While the CHP does not normally comment on ongoing investigations, the Department recognizes the high level of interest centered around crashes involving Tesla vehicles,” the agency said in a statement. “We felt this information provides an opportunity to remind the public that driving is a complex task that requires a driver’s full attention.” The federal safety investigation comes just after the CHP arrested another man who authorities have said was in the back seat of a Tesla driving this week on Interstate 80 near Oakland with no one behind the wheel.
CHP has not said if officials have determined whether the Tesla in the I-80 incident was operating on Autopilot, which can keep a car centered in its lane and a safe distance behind vehicles in front of it. But either Autopilot or “Full Self-Driving” were likely in operation for the driver to be in the back seat. Tesla is allowing a limited number of owners to test its self-driving system. The company says in owner’s manuals and on its website that Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” are not fully autonomous and that drivers must pay attention and be ready to intervene at any time. Tesla, which has disbanded its public relations department, did not respond Friday to an email seeking comment.
Autopilot, at times, has had trouble dealing with stationary objects and traffic crossing in front of Teslas. In two Florida crashes, from 2016 and 2019, cars with Autopilot in use drove beneath crossing tractor-trailers, killing the men forcing the Teslas. In a 2018 crash in Mountain View, California, an Apple engineer driving Autopilot was killed when his Tesla struck a highway barrier. Tesla’s system, which uses cameras, radar, and short-range sonar, also has trouble handling stopped emergency vehicles. Teslas have hit several fire trucks, and police vehicles stopped on freeways with their flashing emergency lights on.
