YouTuber catches the first self-driving Tesla car accident evidence on video as it happened

In what could very well be the first accident with a Tesla car in an Assertive Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode recorded as it happened, the EV crashed into a bike lane pylon to no fault of the driver who was alert and behind the wheel at all times, just as required. YouTuber and Tesla owner AI Addict decided to take the newest FSD Beta 10.10 update for a literal spin around the sunny San Jose streets and up until about 3:20 into the video the autonomous driving algorithms behaved admirably, taking turns left and right, changing lanes, and ramping on exits with aplomb.

At 3:25, however, the Tesla's sensors didn't detect a green-and-white bike lane pylon sitting in the shade during a right turn (or the FSD software didn't react) and the car slammed into it directly. Before you dismiss the accident as a typical YouTube influencer stunt for attention, do check the video below as his hands are clearly visible to be near the wheel but not on it as per the FSD mode requirements. Despite the driver's quick reaction to grab the wheel and try to turn it into the opposite direction, however, the Tesla took the bike lane separator in a head-on collision.

Thankfully, the cornering speed was rather low and those pylons rather flexible by design, so AI Addict and his passenger were unharmed while the Tesla got just a bumper scratch at the front. Their reaction, however, was rather authentic as this may just be the first Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta mode accident caught on tape in real time as it happened. Tesla's CEO Elon Musk went on record just last month confirming that more than a year into the Full Self-Driving Beta program there is yet to be a single accident recorded with the autonomous driving software.

Well, now there is at least one as a claim for another one before the NHTSA got ignored for lack of evidence, despite that there have been plenty of other examples where an FSD accident could've happened but the drivers prevented it by getting to the wheel on time. Still, the Full Self-Driving Beta program's safety record so far is rather impressive for a Level 2 autonomous driving solution. Tesla recently opened the FSD Beta program to more drivers with a perfect "safety score," so incidents like the one you see below are bound to increase regardless of the software's safety profile so far.

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