--- title: "Tesla Driver Says Self-Driving Mode Crashed Her Car Into a Tree" description: "A Michigan woman was taken to the hospital after her Tesla reportedly self-crashed into a tree when in self-driving mode. " date: "2023-05-30" modified: "2023-05-30" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-self-driving-tree-crash" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" - "Tesla" tags: - "fsd" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Driver Says Self-Driving Mode Crashed Her Car Into a Tree ![A Michigan woman was taken to the hospital after her Tesla reportedly self-crashed into a tree when in self-driving mode. ]() *Broken windshield with broken whippers. \Image: Getty Images\* ## Fail Self-Driving A Michigan woman was taken to the hospital after she says her Tesla self-crashed into a tree while in self-driving mode. As [local outlet *MLive* reports](), the unidentified 41-year-old woman was driving on a state highway when she says she put her car into self-driving mode and, according to a police report, all hell broke loose. The woman told deputies that just after she put the car into the assisted driving mode — the reporting didn't specify whether she was talking about Tesla's Autopilot or the more advanced Full Self-Driving — it veered right, struck a tree, and rolled over multiple times. The driver's injuries were reportedly minor, but the accident once again highlights one of the greatest tensions on today's roads: advanced driving assist features which, while undeniably impressive, are nowhere near perfect. ## Autopilot Off While there's not a lot more reporting about this specific incident — including basic details like what model Tesla the woman was driving — we know from precedent that Autopilot has been linked to many crashes, some of which have [resulted in death]() and [federal investigation](). While the general narrative has been that even if Full Self-Driving is misleadingly named — in reality, it requires the driver's attention on the road at all times — it's safer than Autopilot. That could be starting to change, though, with a massive leak of internal Tesla documents this month revealing a cache of [previously unknown safety complaints about the feauture](). What does it all add up to? A big mess. Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has been a [huge booster of the company's self-driving efforts](), and if the systems really could become safer than a human driver, there'd obviously be a compelling argument for them. As of now, though, it feels like we're stuck in an ambiguous in-between when it's not at all clear how safe the features really are — and everyone on the road is taking on that risk. **More on Tesla:** [*Tesla Falls 50 Spots in Survey of America's Most Reputable Brands*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()