Tesla Model 3 plows into a police car in Autopilot mode

The accident happened in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA. No one was harmed, but the cars were totaled.

The police crew stopped their Ford Taurus at a sideline to help a Jeep driver whose car experienced an engine failure. They set up the emergency stop sign and called for a tow truck to evacuate the Jeep. Suddenly, a Tesla rammed into their Ford from behind at high speed, which in turn hit the Jeep parked further away.

The Tesla driver claims he turned on Autopilot Mode to check his dog on the back seat, when something suddenly went wrong.

Despite the lack of casualties, the crash provoked another outburst of criticism towards the imperfection of some electronic driver aids. On August 10, 2019 in Moscow, Russia, a Model 3 hit a tow truck going autonomous. The occupants had enough time to evacuate before it exploded and burned down completely. In Culver City, California in January 2018, a Model 3 hit a firetruck after the automatic emergency brake system failed to stop the car in time. In fact, the system did react, but what it did was alert the driver about the impending collision half a second in advance – hardly enough to react, to say the least (and he did not).

None of these accidents were marked with casualties. Others were. A big rig decapitated a Model S driver who went autonomous in Williston, Florida, in May 2016, and neglected to keep track of the road. On March 1, 2019, another lethal accident happened in Delray Beach, Florida.

Despite what has happened, Tesla continues to insist that it is the human factor that is to blame in every case – and no charges have been brought against the company so far. Still, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may sooner or later find itself more or less forced to enact pressure upon the EV maker, requiring it either to change the way the Autopilot mode works or scrap the tech altogether.