Actual Driverless Car Almost Rolls Head-On Into Police Cruiser

Gif: Michigan State Police

A Michigan State Police trooper had a small mystery on his hands when responding to a call about a blue Pontiac Grand Prix driving recklessly on Monday. The police claim the Grand Prix was unoccupied when the trooper arrived at the scene, and what a scene it was.

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Dashcam footage shows the aging sedan almost hitting the cruiser head-on before slamming into a parked car refueling at a gas pump. Don’t worry. The Pontiac couldn’t have been going faster than ten miles per hour when it made impact.

However, no one had homebrewed autonomous driving capabilities into their Pontiac Grand Prix. WWJ-TV reported that a 57-year-old woman from Grayling, Michigan, was driving the car before the recorded incident. A witness dialed 911 and said the driver had crashed into her car and tried to flee. Then, she ditched the car when the witness told her that she had called 911. The Pontiac was still running and in gear, so it just kept rolling down the road.

The Michigan State Police claimed in a statement:

The trooper spoke with the woman and noticed she emitted a strong odor of intoxicants, had blood shot watery eyes, and had slurred speech. She had difficulty maintaining her balance, refused to listen to the trooper, and attempted to walk away. She was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated, and resisting and obstructing police.

The obvious lesson is not to drive intoxicated. Still, it’s hard not to laugh about how similar this crash is to incidents involving vehicles fitting with thousands of dollars in lidar, radar and camera equipment.