Two California Highway Patrol officers were seriously injured after a Tesla driver allegedly fell asleep while using the vehicle’s self-driving technology and crashed into their parked patrol car on a busy California freeway.
The collision happened shortly before midnight on Tuesday, October 13, along eastbound Interstate 80 near Air Base Parkway in Fairfield, approximately 45 miles southwest of Sacramento.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the Tesla was being operated by a 22-year-old Sacramento man who later told investigators he had been asleep while the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving system was activated.
At the time, two CHP officers were sitting inside their patrol vehicle while investigating an earlier fatal crash.
Several lanes had been closed to protect emergency responders, with traffic cones, flares and flashing emergency lights warning approaching drivers to stay clear.
Despite those precautions, the Tesla entered the restricted area and slammed into the back of the occupied patrol car.
Dashcam footage released by the CHP on Thursday shows the Tesla approaching the crash scene at highway speed before striking the police vehicle.
The impact caused significant damage to the cruiser and left both officers with serious injuries.
Emergency personnel transported the officers to a hospital in Fairfield, where they received treatment. Authorities later confirmed that both had been released and were recovering.
The Tesla driver suffered minor injuries, according to investigators.
What makes the incident particularly concerning is the driver’s account of what happened moments before the collision.
Police said the young man admitted that he had fallen asleep behind the wheel while relying on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology.
However, despite its name, the system is not designed to operate without an attentive human driver.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, officially called Full Self-Driving (Supervised), is classified as a Level 2 driver-assistance system. It can steer, accelerate, brake and perform certain driving maneuvers, but the person behind the wheel must remain alert and ready to take control at all times.
Tesla explicitly warns owners that the technology does not make their vehicles fully autonomous.
“Currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous,” the company explains on its website.
The California Highway Patrol emphasized the same point while sharing the crash footage.
“Full Self-Driving does not relieve drivers of their responsibility to keep everyone safe,” the agency warned.
CHP officials also reminded motorists that California law requires drivers approaching stopped emergency vehicles to slow down and move over when it is safe to do so.
The state’s Move Over law is intended to protect law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and roadside workers from passing traffic.
The crash illustrates why those protections remain important even as more vehicles incorporate automated driving features.
Although advanced driver-assistance technology can help motorists navigate traffic, it is not a substitute for paying attention to the road, particularly near construction zones, traffic closures and emergency scenes.
Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the driver’s statements and the vehicle’s operation before impact.
Authorities have not announced criminal charges against the 22-year-old driver.
The incident also raises questions about how Tesla’s driver-monitoring technology responded when the motorist allegedly fell asleep. The company’s system is designed to monitor attentiveness and issue warnings when necessary, but investigators have not publicly established whether those safeguards activated before the crash.
For the two injured officers, what began as an investigation into one fatal collision ended with them becoming victims of another.
Both survived and have since been released from the hospital.
The CHP concluded its public warning with a reminder for drivers approaching roadside emergencies.
“Slow down. Move over. Stay alert. Lives depend on it.”
