Sacramento man driving Tesla allegedly falls asleep, injures officers

Two California Highway Patrol officers were injured in a crash involving a Tesla that was in self-driving mode.

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On Tuesday,just before midnight, dashcam footage captured a car driving straight into a California Highway Patrol vehicle in Fairfield on Interstate 80 near the Air Base Parkway, Bay City News Service reported. Officers allege that the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, told them that he fell asleep behind the wheel while using the vehicle’s autonomous driving setting.

“They’re ultimately responsible for their vehicle and must be alert and ready to take over, and we feel it is reckless and unacceptable for someone to go to sleep and put the vehicle in full self-driving,” California Highway Patrol spokesperson Scott Heitman told SFGATE in an email.

The officers were on the freeway investigating a fatal crash. The Tesla driver was traveling at “freeway speed” when he entered the closed lanes, California Highway Patrol said on Facebook. The lanes were marked with flares and cones, and emergency vehicles with flashing lights were on the scene. 

Both officers were seriously injured but are recovering. The man driving the Tesla sustained minor injuries.

Heitman said both officers have since been released from the hospital and that the crash is still under investigation. No charges have been filed.

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“There is evidence to suggest the brakes were applied but one to two seconds before the impact,” he said. 

Teslas are Level 2 automated vehicles, California Highway Patrol said on Facebook. Level 2 automated vehicles can control speed and steering at the same time and may have adaptive cruise control and lane centering, plus parking assistance or self-parking, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, the technology only works under “certain conditions.” Level 2 vehicles require drivers to supervise the vehicle’s automation and be alert enough and aware of their surroundings to take over when needed.

“Technology does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to safely operate their vehicles,” California Highway Patrol said on Facebook. “Distracted and inattentive driving can have devastating consequences. Slow down. Move over. Stay alert. Lives depend on it.”