In an event that will justify this week's paychecks for Tesla's PR staff, one of the line's luxury Model S sedans rammed into a parked cop car on Tuesday in Laguna Beach. That alone would not qualify as news, except that it happened while in autopilot mode.
At the time of the collision, no cops were in the car. Additionally, the Tesla's driver had minor injuries, but nothing that required immediate assistance. Since this is 2018 and all, the resulting wreck was tweeted out by the local PD's account which showed pretty substantial damage to both vehicles:
While it's not as serious as a handful of past crashes tied to the autopilot system, hitting a cop car in Laguna Beach is bound to garner publicity. Tesla has previously told drivers that they shouldn't rely on the system, and that they should stay alert while it's engaged.
"Tesla has always been clear that Autopilot doesn't make the car impervious to all accidents, and before a driver can use Autopilot, they must accept a dialogue box which states that 'Autopilot is designed for use on highways that have a center divider and clear lane markings," said a spokesperson about Tuesday's incident.
If you can afford one, let this be the latest reminder to heed the warning.
