Today, a video that surfaced on Twitter shows a Tesla Model 3 driving, without waiver or interruption, directly into a flipped-over truck on the highway. The clip, which occurred in Taiwan, has some viewers questioning and speculating what happened to the driver, if he was paying attention, and if any Tesla safety functions were in use at the time.
The incident occurred this morning on National Freeway 1 in Taiwan. According to cna.com.tw, a box truck carrying salad and breakfast ingredients lost control and flipped over. While the driver of the truck stood on the side of the road waiting for assistance, a Tesla Model 3 came into the picture driving in the inside-most lane straight for the truck. Despite the truck downed on the highway in the middle of a clear and sunny day, the Tesla did not flinch and plowed into the top of the box.
Only one person was in the Model 3, and he was not seriously injured. More angles of the crash are seen here:
side better quality pic.twitter.com/9r3HpAdBzD
— hand washing rooster 🐓 (@jsin86524368) June 1, 2020
According to a roughly translated excerpt from CNA, the driver was expecting the car to brake without his input.
"The police said that the driver of the Tesla electric vehicle, Huang, claimed to have the vehicle assist system turned on, and the speed was fixed at 110 kilometers per hour," the article says. "He thought that the car itself would detect the obstacle and automatically brake, but he was surprised that the car did not slow down."
From this passage, it sounds like the driver was using either adaptive cruise control or some form of Tesla's Autopilot driving assistance technology, though it was not directly named or confirmed. This type of speculation sprouts from Tesla's previous issues with its Autopilot system, which is not autonomous nor self-driving. Autopilot remains a safety-focused driver assistance program that requires driver attention at all times. Self-driving cars do not exist yet.
Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found Tesla at fault for not providing enough Autopilot safeguards after a deadly Tesla crash. Visit CNA or ET Today for more information or photos.