Tesla ‘on autopilot’ smashes into parked police car

A Tesla Model S crashed into a parked police vehicle while reportedly driving on autopilot in Laguna Beach, California, injuring the Tesla driver and badly damaging the cop car.

Laguna Beach Sergeant Jim Cota said on Twitter that the cop car was unmanned at the time of the impact, while the Tesla driver sustained minor injuries. The crash happened soon after 11am Tuesday on Laguna Canyon Road. Cota told the LA Times the “police car is totalled.”

The driver told police the car was operating on autopilot at the time of the crash. Tesla’s autopilot system uses sensors, cameras, and radar to study the vehicle’s surroundings and carry out automatic functions which include emergency braking. The company describes it as being a “driver assistance system.”

“When using Autopilot, drivers are continuously reminded of their responsibility to keep their hands on the wheel and maintain control of the vehicle at all times,”Tesla said. “Tesla has always been clear that Autopilot doesn’t make the car impervious to all accidents.”