- A train struck a Tesla Model 3 in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, June 14.
- The driver reportedly claimed the car was in Full Self-Driving mode and actively caused the incident.
- A specialty tow rig retrieved the car from the tracks without further visible damage.
Imagine setting your semi-autonomous vehicle to take the wheel, only to have it veer off the road and onto active train tracks. At least that’s what one Tesla Model 3 driver claims happened during an early morning drive. While everyone inside the car escaped unharmed, the driver wasted no time pointing fingers at the car’s Full Self-Driving system after the incident.
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More: Deadly Tesla Crash Raises Questions About Vision-Based Self-Driving Systems
Western Berks Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw told local news outlet WFMZ that the car, “Went down the tracks approximately 40-50 feet.” According to the driver’s account, the Tesla apparently mistook the train tracks for a road and followed them as if that were a normal route. Renshaw added that the driver claimed the vehicle was in Full Self-Driving mode at the time.
A Close Call with a Passing Train
The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m., and just minutes later, a train passed by and clipped the Tesla’s mirror. Fortunately, by that point, all occupants were out of the vehicle and in a safe location. Even so, the track had to be temporarily shut down to allow crews to remove the car without risking further incidents.
According to Spitlers Garage and Towing, which posted photos of the recovery on its Facebook page, a specialized rig was needed to handle the job. The team there used a rotating crane to lift and extract the Model 3 without additional damage. Based on photos from the scene, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Tesla managed to drive away.
Plenty of Questions, Not a Lot of Answers
Photos Spitlers Garage & Towing’s / Facebook
It’s important to note here that there are a great many details missing from this account.For starters, there are no direct quotes or context from the driver. While FSD is certainly failable, it would be very strange for it to do what the driver alleges. Not only would it have to disregard the GPS coordinates of the road itself, but it would also call into question what the driver was doing.
Did they not think to stop the car when it started to go around the train barrier? Why not hit the brakes when it first turned onto the train tracks? Why wait til it was several yards down the track?
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Also, don’t forget that Tesla doesn’t market Full Self-Driving as an autonomous chauffeur. It markets it as a supervised system, one that still needs a human behind the wheel, paying attention. Here’s what Tesla’s own manual says:
“Like other Autopilot features, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) requires a fully attentive driver and will display a series of escalating warnings requiring driver response. You must keep your hands on the steering wheel while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is engaged.While Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is engaged, the cabin camera monitors driver attentiveness (see Driver Attentiveness).“
There are just too many questions here to blindly believe that this was completely the result of Full Self-Driving on its own. We’ve reached out to Commissioner Renshaw for additional details and will update you here if we hear back.
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#Driver #Blames #FSD #Tesla #Drives #Tracks #Hit #Train
