Some drivers might put just a bit too much faith in self-driving features. In this case, an Illinois man fell asleep while his Tesla EV was using Autopilot to maintain speed and stay within the confines of the road. But without driver supervision, the Tesla crashed into another car. Worse yet, that vehicle was a police car. 

A Tesla driver used Autopilot to catch up on some sleep– right up until he crashed into a police car

An Illinois man is in hot water with the police after falling asleep behind the wheel and crashing his car. But here’s the kicker: it was an Autopilot-driven Tesla, and the other car was a police vehicle.

The man was in the driver’s seat at the time, with Autopilot activated. It’s unclear how long the man was asleep and how far the EV traveled without supervision. However, the unsupervised drive came to an abrupt end when the driver slammed into a South Barrington Police vehicle. Both police officers sustained minor injuries, and the Tesla driver is facing multiple charges. 

“Technology continues to evolve and can enhance safety when used properly. However, it’s important to remember that drivers are still responsible for the safe operation of their vehicles at all times,” so says Chief Adam Puralewski of the South Barrington Police. 

According to Tesla’s Autopilot page, the feature includes Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer to reduce “overall workload as a driver.” It doesn’t, however, say the car can drive itself while you slip off into dreamland.

Even the brand’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite requires just that, supervision. The automaker is quick to tout that EVs using Autopilot and FSD “crash significantly less than the national average.”