TESLA STRIKES AND KILLS MAN ON CALIFORNIA INTERSTATE

A Tesla operating in Full Self-Driving mode struck and killed a man crossing Interstate 80 in Vallejo, California, at about 2.30am on Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The right front of the car hit him, the CHP said. The Tesla driver stopped and remained at the scene, according to authorities. The CHP reviewed footage from the car’s dashcam while investigating the collision.

The footage “showed the Tesla’s brakes being applied as the vehicle steered to the left in an effort to avoid the pedestrian”, the CHP said. Authorities believe at least one other vehicle struck the man after the Tesla. No driver of another vehicle stopped, according to authorities. The CHP’s Solano Area office has asked witnesses and anyone with information about the collision to contact investigators.

In a separate collision on Interstate 80 last week, a Tesla hit a police car that had stopped at the scene of an accident. The Tesla driver said he had been asleep while using Full Self-Driving when that collision occurred. Afterwards, the CHP warned: “Despite its name, full self-driving is not fully autonomous.” It added: “Technology does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to safely operate their vehicles.”