NTSB Investigating After A Tesla Slammed Into Fire Engine At 65mph
What you see above is the shocking aftermath of a Tesla Model S ploughing into the back of a fire engine on the Interstate 405 in Southern California. Despite the car hitting the engine - which was attending a motorcycle crash - at 65mph, Culver City Firefighters amazingly reported that all involved escaped injury.
It’s not known whether the car was in Autopilot mode at the time of the wreck on Tuesday, but the incident has caught the attention of the NTSB. The organisation posted on Twitter yesterday to state that it was dispatching two investigators “to conduct a field investigation.”
Two NTSB investigators from HQ to conduct field investigation of Jan. 22, crash involving a Tesla and fire truck, near Culver City, CA. Focus of field investigation is driver and vehicle factors.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 23, 2018
You might remember the NTSB having some strong words about Tesla’s Autopilot during the investigation of the Model S crash that claimed the life of Joshua D. Brown. Its report conceded that slowing down for the lorry Brown hit wasn’t something the Autopilot was designed for, but still criticised the system as it “allowed prolonged disengagement from the driving task and enabled the driver to use it in ways inconsistent with manufacturer guidance and warnings.”
When asked for comment by news agency Reuters, Tesla declined to comment on this latest investigation.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
I bet autopilot was on and the driver was texting.
Even though the Tesla is pretty stiff, that is not a 65 mph to standstill crash.
Autopilot developed a glitch lmao
Surely people will blame the autopilot for it. They shouldn’t forget that it’s still you who are driving the car, the autopilot merely assists you. You are supposed to keep attention to the road still.
65mph crash and no one hurt!?!? wow car safety has come a long way!
Not even a scratch on the fire engine - has Tesla started making cars out of tracing paper while we weren’t paying attention?
The sad thing is: people will blame the autopilot system and Tesla is likely to get sued for it, without realising that even Musk says the technology isn’t as advanced as people perceive it as.
There should be training courses specifically set up to teach newfound Tesla owners how to operate their cars properly.
Driver will be at fault no matter if the autopilot got ‘confused’.
The good news is the firefighters were immediately on scene
Bet this caused a spark online