In the early hours of October 13 (local time), an accident took place on the eastbound stretch of Interstate 80, close to Fairfield in Solano County, California. A 22-year-old man, driving a Tesla, activated the FSD system and subsequently fell asleep. The vehicle then drifted into a lane that had been closed due to a prior fatal accident and collided with a parked California Highway Patrol (CHP) patrol car. This impact resulted in serious injuries to two patrol officers, while the driver sustained only minor injuries.

Just an hour prior to this incident, a car crash had occurred on the same section of the road. In that accident, a 19-year-old man lost control of his Honda Civic and tragically lost his life. As a precautionary measure, the CHP had set up warning facilities at the scene and parked patrol cars with flashing warning lights.

The driver involved in the Tesla accident admitted that he had dozed off at the time of the collision and that the vehicle was operating in FSD mode. He has since been taken into custody and is facing multiple charges.

The CHP stressed that FSD is, in fact, a Level 2 driver assistance system. It necessitates continuous supervision by the driver and cannot serve as a substitute for manual driving. They reminded users to remain vigilant at all times.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation. They are retrieving vehicle data to ascertain the operational status of the FSD at the time of the accident and to determine whether the in-car driver monitoring system was functioning as intended.