Driver That Caused 8 Car Pile-Up In Bay Area Last Month Claims Tesla’s Full Self Driving “Braked Unexpectedly”

A driver involved in an eight car crash last month told authorities that Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” software “braked unexpectedly” and caused the pile-up.

A California Highway Patrol traffic crash report, viewed by CNN, said that the accident, which occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area and led to nine people being treated for minor injuries, happened when the Tesla slowed to a stop.

The crash report showed “the Tesla vehicle changing lanes and slowing to a stop”, CNN wrote. They obtained the report via a public records request this week. 

Back in December, the California Highway Patrol was unable to confirm whether or not “Full Self Driving” was active at the time of the accident. A highway patrol spokesperson told CNN they still could not confirm, and that Tesla would have the pertinent information. 

The accident took place during lunchtime on Thanksgiving Day on I-80 east of the Bay Bridge. As the report notes, the pile up happened just hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that “Full Self Driving” was available to anyone in North America who requested it. 

According to CNN, the report said that “the Tesla Model S was traveling at about 55 mph and shifted into the far left-hand lane, but then braked abruptly, slowing the car to about 20 mph. That led to a chain reaction that ultimately involved eight vehicles to crash, all of which had been traveling at typical highway speeds.”

As we have noted this year, the NHTSA is in the midst of a litany of investigations into Tesla’s Autopilot, including several accidents that wound up killing motorcyclists. 

The first accident was at 4:47am, July 7 on State Route 91, on a freeway in Riverside, California, the report says. A Model Y collided with a green Yamaha V-Star motorcycle that was ahead of it and the driver of the bike was ejected from his motorcycle. 

Another crash happened at 1:09am on July 24,  on Interstate 15 near Draper, Utah. A Model 3 was behind a Harley Davidson, the Utah Department of Public Safety said. 

“The driver of the Tesla did not see the motorcyclist and collided with the back of the motorcycle, which threw the rider from the bike,” the statement says. The rider of the Harley was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver told authorities he had Autopilot on, the report says.