The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said a 22-year-old Tesla driver told investigators he had been asleep while using driver-assistance technology before a crash near Fairfield seriously injured two officers.
The collision happened at about 11:45 p.m. PDT Tuesday, Oct. 13 (2:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 14), on eastbound Interstate 80 west of Air Base Parkway. Four lanes had been closed with flares and cones while officers handled another crash. The Tesla entered the closure at freeway speed and hit an occupied CHP Dodge Charger. The officers were hospitalized with serious injuries and later released.
The earlier collision occurred at about 10:45 p.m. PDT Tuesday, Oct. 13 (1:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 14). It involved a Honda Civic driven by a 19-year-old from San Pablo and a Chevrolet Tahoe. The Civic driver later died at a hospital, CHP said.
Accounts differ on whether Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature was active during the crash. CBS Sacramento reported on Oct. 14 that CHP had not determined its status, then reported on Oct. 16 that investigators described the vehicle as operating in FSD mode. NBC Bay Area reported that the status remained unknown.
CHP said FSD does not remove a driver’s responsibility to keep others safe. Tesla’s Model S owner’s manual describes the feature as supervised and tells drivers to remain attentive and ready to take control.
SFGATE reported that CHP spokesperson Scott Heitman said evidence suggested the Tesla’s brakes were applied one to two seconds before impact. SFGATE also reported that no charges had been filed as of Oct. 16.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a separate investigation in 2021 after Tesla vehicles using Autopilot collided with stationary vehicles at scenes where first responders were working. In April 2024, the agency opened a query into whether the remedy for Tesla’s 2023 Autopilot recall was effective. That recall covered an estimated 2,031,220 vehicles. The agency’s actions concerned Autopilot, a separate system, and do not establish whether FSD was active or caused the Fairfield crash. CHP said the crash remains under investigation.
