Fatal Tesla Crash In FL When Car Slams Into Truck, Feds Investigate

GAINESVILLE, FL — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a special crash investigation into a Florida accident involving a Tesla Model S, which killed two people Wednesday, an agency spokesperson confirmed to Patch on Monday.

The Tesla was traveling on Interstate 75 on Wednesday afternoon when it exited into a rest area near Gainesville. It then went into the parking lot and hit the back of a parked Walmart tractor-trailer, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

The driver and passenger, both from Lompoc, California, were killed in the crash, authorities said.

It is unknown if the Tesla was operating on one of the company's partially automated driving systems. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson said it would be a consideration in the agency's investigation.

The agency is investigating 37 crashes involving automated driving systems since 2016. Of those, 30 involved Teslas, including 11 fatal crashes that have killed a total of 15 people.

Last month, the agency released data from automakers over a 10-month period that showed more than 350 crashes involving cars using partially automated driver-assist systems. Of those crashes, 273 involved Teslas, but the agency warned not to draw conclusions between automakers since the data was not weighted for the number of automated driver-assist cars made by each company.

Tesla also has telematics capabilities, which monitor the vehicles and get real-time crash reports. Other automakers don’t have the feature, meaning reports may be slower or not come at all. Telematics were the most common method of crash reports in the data set, according to the agency.

The agency ordered automakers to submit crashes from July 2021 through May 15 as part of its efforts to examine vehicles with partially automated driver-assist systems. The agency announced it will begin releasing data on these crashes each month.

Steven Cliff, newly confirmed NHTSA administrator, said the agency is attempting to understand the risks of automated driver-assist technology and decide what regulations may be necessary to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians. He also said the systems have potential to save lives.

"As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able to better identify any emerging risks or trends and learn more about how these technologies are performing in the real world," Cliff said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.