California Sees Surge in Tesla Full Self-Driving Crashes

Tesla ‘Full Self-Driving’ crashes pile up in California

Two crashes involving Tesla vehicles on Interstate 80 in Solano County have renewed attention on the limits of the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system and the responsibility that remains with drivers using it.

In one of the incidents, a Tesla struck a California Highway Patrol vehicle that had stopped on eastbound I-80 near Air Base Parkway in Fairfield. The collision happened shortly before midnight Tuesday while officers were investigating a separate incident and several lanes of the freeway were closed.

The CHP vehicle was stopped in one of the closed lanes when the Tesla approached and collided with it. Dashcam footage released by the CHP shows the crash and has been used by the agency to illustrate the dangers of failing to monitor a vehicle operating with driver-assistance technology engaged.

Two CHP officers were injured and taken to a hospital in Fairfield for treatment. Both were later released. The 22-year-old Tesla driver, who is from Sacramento, was not injured.

According to the information released with the video, the driver told investigators he had been asleep while Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system was operating. The available information does not indicate whether investigators have determined why the vehicle failed to avoid the stopped patrol car.

The crash was followed by another fatal incident on I-80 in Solano County. A 71-year-old man was killed after being struck by a Tesla early Thursday, at about 2:30 a.m. The available details do not identify the circumstances of that collision beyond its location and the involvement of the Tesla.

Both crashes have been reported as involving Tesla vehicles that were operating, or were believed to have been operating, in Full Self-Driving mode. The incidents remain separate, and the information released so far does not establish that the same system behavior caused both crashes.

The CHP used the Fairfield collision to emphasize that Tesla’s system does not make the vehicle autonomous. “Full Self-Driving does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to keep everyone safe,” the agency said in a social media post. “As the driver, YOU are responsible for your vehicle’s actions!”

That warning is particularly relevant for professional drivers sharing the road with vehicles using advanced driver-assistance systems. A vehicle may be able to steer, maintain speed, change lanes or respond to some traffic conditions, but drivers are still expected to supervise the system and remain prepared to take control.

For truck drivers working around freeway incidents, the Fairfield crash also highlights the hazards created when traffic approaches a lane closure or a stopped emergency vehicle. Patrol cars and other response vehicles may be positioned in or alongside travel lanes while officers manage a crash scene. Those areas can be difficult to see, especially at night, and traffic conditions can change quickly.

Drivers approaching an incident scene should reduce speed, increase following distance and move away from emergency vehicles when it is safe and legal to do so. California’s “Move Over, Slow Down” law requires motorists to take those precautions around stopped emergency and other authorized vehicles displaying emergency lights.

The term “Full Self-Driving” has also prompted continuing confusion because it can sound as though a vehicle requires no human supervision. The CHP’s statement underscores the distinction between a driver-assistance feature and a truly driverless vehicle. Regardless of the system’s name, the person behind the wheel remains responsible for monitoring the road and the vehicle’s actions.

The released footage provides a direct view of the Fairfield collision, but it does not by itself answer broader questions about the system’s performance, the driver’s attention or the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash. Those determinations would depend on law-enforcement investigations and any additional evidence made public.

For now, the CHP’s message is straightforward: Drivers using automated or partially automated systems must remain alert, keep their attention on the roadway and be ready to intervene. Technology does not remove that obligation, particularly around construction zones, lane closures, crash scenes and stopped emergency vehicles.