Tesla driver claims he was asleep with Full Self-Driving engaged when vehicle struck CHP patrol car on I-80
A 22-year-old driver said he fell asleep while using Tesla's Full Self-Driving system, leading the car to collide with a California Highway Patrol patrol vehicle and injuring two officers.
Two California Highway Patrol officers sustained serious injuries after a Tesla entered a lane-closure scene on eastbound Interstate 80 near Fairfield shortly before midnight on Oct. 13. The vehicle, driven by a 22-year-old from Sacramento, struck a Dodge Charger patrol car that was stationed at the site of an earlier fatal crash involving a Honda Civic and a Chevrolet Tahoe.
According to the driver’s statement to investigators, he was asleep while Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature was active. CHP released dash-cam footage showing the Tesla traveling at freeway speed, passing flares and cones that marked the closed lanes, and colliding with the patrol car. The driver escaped with minor injuries; the officers remain hospitalized.
CHP emphasized that FSD is a driver-assistance system that requires the operator to remain alert and in control, noting that “technology does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to safely operate their vehicles.” The agency has not disclosed the Tesla model or software version, and the driver’s account is currently the only indication that FSD was engaged.
The incident adds to a series of crashes involving Teslas and emergency scenes that have been under federal investigation since 2021. Earlier investigations led to a 2023 recall of more than 2 million vehicles to improve driver-attention alerts. A June 2024 crash in Fullerton also involved a Tesla on FSD colliding with a police car while the driver was using a phone.
CHP continues to investigate both the crash and the driver’s conduct. Tesla’s vehicle logs are expected to confirm whether FSD was active at the time of the impact.