Tesla Car Hits Phoenix Police Motorcycle

Cars and Drivers

Published: March 28, 2017 10:05 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 1:33 pm

A Tesla vehicle ran into a Phoenix police motorcycle last week, according to the local newspaper, The Arizona Republic. The report said that no one was injured.

The Phoenix Police Department confirmed the report on Monday. The motorcycle was being operated by an on-duty police officer. It was in front of the Tesla at an intersection. Both vehicles had stopped when the Tesla began to move forward. The policeman jumped off the motorcycle when it was hit from behind and was not hurt. The officer estimated that the Tesla was moving at three miles per hour.

The Tesla driver told police that his car was in autopilot mode when it began to move. The Republic reported that Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Alan Pfohl would not confirm the claim that the autopilot was engaged. The police also would name neither the officer or Tesla driver.

This is not the first time questions have been raised about the Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) autopilot design. A much more serious incident was reported when a Tesla owner was killed in Florida after colliding with a tractor-trailer truck in 2016. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded afterward, “A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further examination of this issue does not appear to be warranted.”