Associated Incidents
Authorities say a Tesla on autopilot crashed into a stopped truck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last week.
Troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash on the turnpike eastbound near mile marker 48 about 10:25 p.m. Friday in Oakmont, according to state police.
A Freightliner truck was stopped in the middle lane, providing traffic control for a closure in the right lane. That's when, police say, a 2016 Tesla, driven by an 18-year-old Kalamazoo, Mich., man, crashed into the back of the Freightliner.
Police said the driver of the Tesla lost control while the vehicle was on autopilot. He was charged with careless driving.
No injuries were reported.
Tesla's autopilot features have been repeatedly scrutinized for several years.
In February 2023, U.S. safety regulators pressured Tesla into recalling nearly 363,000 vehicles with full self-driving features because of issues involving intersections and speed limits.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has investigated Tesla's autopilot features since June 2016 when a driver was killed after a Tesla on autopilot went under a tractor-trailer.
Another probe began in August 2021, when Tesla vehicles on autopilot were crashing into emergency vehicles. More than 30 crashes involving autopilot have been investigated since 2016.
Just last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Tesla's autopilot system for its marketing.
"I don't think that something should be called, for example, an Autopilot, when the fine print says you need to have your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times," Mr. Buttigieg said in an interview with The Associated Press.