Tesla on Autopilot crashes into police car and another vehicle in Florida

A Tesla using its partially-automated driving system has crashed into a police car in the US state of Florida.

The police car had pulled over to help a third vehicle just before 5am on Saturday on a highway near central Orlando.

The officer, who had activated his car's emergency lights, was narrowly missed by the

Tesla

as it hit his vehicle and the vehicle he was attending to.

According to police, the 27-year-old Tesla driver and the driver of the vehicle being helped by the officer both suffered minor injuries.

The officer was not hurt.

Tesla has not commented on the incident.

It comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigates Tesla's Autopilot driving system following a number of similar collisions.

Since 2018, there have been at least 11 crashes blamed on Tesla's Autopilot or cruise control, where a car has hit emergency services vehicles.

This has been despite the first responders using flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board, or road cones.

Seventeen people have been injured in the accidents and one was killed.

The investigation, which is still under way, could lead to cars being recalled or other enforcement.

Tesla uses a camera-based system, computers and sometimes radar to spot and identify obstacles and to then instruct the vehicle.

But there have been concerns that it might have trouble with parked emergency vehicles and perpendicular trucks in its path.

Autopilot has also sometimes been misused by drivers - some have been caught driving drunk or even in the back seat while the car is in motion.