A Tesla driver told police the vehicle was operating in autopilot mode when it veered off Route 1 and crashed Sunday night in Middlesex County, authorities said.
The owner said the vehicle “got confused due to the lane markings” in North Brunswick, police said.
“The vehicle could have gone straight or taken the Adams Lane exit, but instead split the difference and went down the middle, taking the vehicle off the roadway and striking several objects at the roadside,” police said in a report.
“The (Tesla owner) states that he tried to regain control of the vehicle, however it would not let him,” the police report said.
The car struck several signs on the road before coming to a halt.
The man, who was not identified, was not hurt. The Tesla sustained extensive damage, police said, adding that the vehicle owner was not charged.
The police report did not say why the driver believed autopilot system malfunctioned.
Tesla issued a statement following the crash Monday.
“Safety is the top priority at Tesla, and we engineer and build our cars with this in mind. We also ask our customers to exercise safe behavior when using our vehicles, including following the car’s instructions for remaining alert and present when using Autopilot and to be prepared to take control at all times. A driver can easily override Autopilot by lightly touching the steering wheel or brakes,” Tesla said in a statement.
“Moreover, the brakes have an independent bypass circuit that cuts power to the motor no matter what the Autopilot computer requests,” the statement said. “And the steering wheel has enough leverage for a person to overpower the electric steering assist at all times. Since we launched Autopilot in 2015, we are not aware of a single instance in which Autopilot refused to disengage.”
Tesla literature states its autopilot system is to help drivers steer their vehicles.
“Autopilot is intended for use only with a fully attentive driver who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time,” Tesla states in its media kit.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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