A Tesla driver in Barrington Hills, Illinois, was arrested and charged after crashing their vehicle into a South Barrington police squad car last week.
When questioned by police, the driver reportedly claimed they had fallen asleep and that the car was operating on Autopilot at the time of the collision.
Tesla’s Autopilot is a Level 2 driver-assist system, not a self-driving system. It requires the driver to remain fully attentive, with their hands on the wheel, and ready to take control at any moment.
The system’s driver-monitoring features should have warned the driver to stay attentive, but there are ways around them. If the driver-monitoring camera doesn’t have a clear view of the driver’s eyes, it reverts to steering-wheel torque sensing, which can be defeated with a simple weight.
If the driver’s claim is true, it means they were actively ignoring the vehicle’s repeated visual and audible warnings to pay attention before the system finally disengaged, or they were somehow defeating the safety features.
Two officers were in the squad car at the time of the crash. Thankfully, village officials reported they did not suffer serious injuries.
They shared images of the damages on their squad truck:
The Barrington Hills Police Department, which is handling the investigation, arrested the driver and charged them with several violations.
South Barrington Deputy Police Chief Adam Puralewski issued a reminder that while automation systems aren’t illegal, human responsibility is paramount. “Technology continues to evolve and can enhance safety when used properly. However, it’s important to remember that drivers are still responsible for the safe operation of their vehicles at all times,” Puralewski said.
Electrek’s Take
Any system is going to get abused. It’s hard to make anything completely foolproof.
However, there is room to question whether Tesla is doing enough to prevent abuse, a concern that has come up in several lawsuits involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving crashes.
Claiming you were “asleep” is not a defense; it’s a direct admission of negligence. In some cases, drivers have claimed they thought it reasonable not to pay attention because they believed Autopilot would prevent crashes.
When Tesla promotes the system as “safer than humans” based on a “safety report” that is deeply flawed, you can see how some people might get the wrong idea.
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