Phoenix: USA Today is reporting that a Tesla Model X reportedly rear-ended a Phoenix Police officer while stopped at the on ramp to the Black Canyon Freeway last week.
The officer, who was in front of the Tesla driver, stopped for a stoplight, police said. After also stopping briefly, the Tesla began moving forward, prompting the officer to jump off his motorcycle and move away. The car struck the fallen motorcycle, but no damage was reported to either vehicle.
The Tesla driver told police that he had the car in autopilot mode at the time of the incident, but Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Alan Pfohl said investigators were unable to corroborate that statement.
The Phoenix police incident came days before a crash in Tempe involving an automated car, sometimes referred to as a "self-driving'' vehicle.
On Friday, a Volvo SUV operating under Uber’s fleet of self-driving cars collided with another vehicle whose driver failed to yield while making a left turn. The Uber car ended up on its side, but no one was seriously injured. The car was in self-driving mode with a test driver behind the wheel and another in the passenger seat.
The collision prompted Uber to temporarily ground the program as it investigated the incident, but a company representative said Monday that the fleet will be redeployed.