Why Doesn't Tesla Automatic Braking Stop These Deadly Crashes?

On a rainy winter night in December 2019, college student Maria Smith found herself followed by a state trooper, police lights flashing, on Massachusetts’ Route 24. She pulled over to the side of the road. Then: Smack! Something had hit her car from behind, shattering her rear window. “I was scared,” she said.

A Tesla running in Autopilot mode had slammed into the state trooper’s cruiser, knocking it into Smith’s car.