A new police video shows a car in driver-assist mode passing a stopped school bus, Hingham police in Massachusetts say.
It has drawn fresh local attention to how the technology behaves ‒ and how much drivers may rely on its effectiveness. Federal safety officials are investigating nearly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles for possible traffic violations linked to the company’s full self-driving system.
The footage, recorded at 2:48 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, and shared Monday, Oct. 13, on the department’s Facebook page shows the stop arm of the bus extending at a stop just before the car continues through without stopping. The officer immediately turns on the cruiser lights and stops the car.
Police said the driver was cited and that no children were in the road.
Self-driving cars: Fully autonomous cars won’t be common until after 2035, experts say
“Reminder,” police wrote, “even if a car has a driver-assistance feature or self-driving option, the driver must still pay attention to what is happening on the road.”
According to a USA Today report published last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” and “FSD (Beta)” software after 58 safety violations, multiple crashes and several injuries were reported nationwide.
Federal officials said the system has at times run red lights or directed vehicles into opposing lanes of traffic, raising concerns about whether the software properly recognizes hazards or road markings. The probe covers 2016–2025 Model S and Model X, 2017–2026 Model 3, 2020–2026 Model Y and the Cybertruck line.
The Facebook post has been viewed more than 140,000 times, touching off hundreds of comments over driver responsibility and technology. Some argued the issue was impatience, saying, “People just don’t care and are always in a rush.” Others blamed overreliance on automation: “Self-driving mode doesn’t make you a passenger ‒ you still need to pay attention.”
“Typical Tesla driver,” one person added ‒ a sign the brand itself fuels strong reactions.
The car looks a lot like a Tesla, but it is unclear of the model of the car. The Patriot Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network, called Hingham police, but has not yet heard back.
The federal probe remains open as regulators and the company assess whether further software updates or recalls are needed.

source