A 22-year-old Tesla driver involved in a collision in the Fairfield area of California told investigators he had been asleep at the wheel while the vehicle's driver-assistance system was engaged, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred around 11:45 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, October 13, along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80, at a point just west of Air Base Parkway. Officers had established a four-lane closure marked by flares and traffic cones in response to a separate collision nearby. The Tesla, traveling at freeway speed, struck a CHP Dodge Charger with an officer inside after entering the closure zone. Both officers sustained injuries, were transported to hospital, and were discharged following treatment.
The earlier collision that prompted the lane closure took place around 10:45 p.m. PDT on the same night. Two vehicles were involved — a Honda Civic operated by a 19-year-old San Pablo resident and a Chevrolet Tahoe. The driver of the Civic was pronounced dead at a nearby medical facility, according to the CHP.
Whether Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology was engaged at the time of the collision remains a point of dispute among those familiar with the incident. Follow-up coverage from one outlet, published two days after that same outlet had placed the vehicle's operating status in doubt, quoted investigators who characterized the car as running in Full Self-Driving mode at the time. No confirmation of the situation's status had been reported by the time the outlet filed its initial account.
The California Highway Patrol stated that Full Self-Driving technology places the obligation for public safety with the person behind the wheel. According to the owner's manual for the Model S, the feature operates under driver supervision, with the expectation that drivers remain alert and prepared to assume control at any moment.
CHP spokesperson Scott Heitman told reporters that data retrieved from the vehicle indicated the Tesla's brakes had been engaged approximately one to two seconds before the collision. As of October 16, that publication had not reported any charges being filed.
A separate investigation launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2021 targeted a pattern of Tesla Autopilot-equipped vehicles striking parked emergency vehicles at active first-responder scenes. In the same month in 2024, the agency launched a formal review to determine whether corrective measures tied to Tesla's Autopilot recall from the previous year had addressed the underlying problem. Approximately 2.03 million vehicles fell within the scope of that recall.
The agency's examination pertained to Autopilot, a distinct driver-assistance feature from Full Self-Driving, leaving open the question of whether Full Self-Driving played any role in the Fairfield collision. An investigation into the crash is ongoing, a CHP spokesperson noted.
