Tesla driver crashes into cop car while watching movie on autopilot, NC officials say
A Tesla driver was watching a movie just before an early morning car crash in North Carolina, officials say.
The person behind the wheel was using Tesla’s autopilot feature when the car slammed into a Nash County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s vehicle, said 1st Sgt. Jeff Wilson of N.C. State Highway Patrol.
It happened Wednesday along U.S. 64 west, near the border of Nash and Franklin counties, Wilson told McClatchy News. The area is roughly 13 miles outside the town of Nashville, he said.
Officials say they were responding to an earlier crash when the Tesla rammed into the deputy’s vehicle, which then hit a state trooper’s vehicle. Two of the cars were totaled, and no one was injured, Wilson said.
Devainder Goli of Raleigh is accused of violating the move-over law and watching television while operating a vehicle, according to officials.
This isn’t the first time a person has gotten into an autopilot crash behind the wheel of a Tesla. Drivers across the country have been in serious accidents while using autopilot mode on their cars, The Sacramento Bee reported.
“Autopilot enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane,” Tesla said on its website.
Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Tesla driver crashes into cop car while watching movie on autopilot, NC officials say."
