A Tesla car on autopilot mode was chased by German police for as long as 15 minutes after the driver behind the steering wheel fell asleep. The incident was reported from Autobahn 70 where the driver in question was driving a Tesla from Bamberg, Germany to Bayreuth. The intense chase and its shocking reveal took place earlier on December 29 and the driver in question had to part with his license for his endangering act.
For the unversed, drivers in Germany are yet not legally allowed to use autopilot like features. They are asked to be in complete and full control of their cars at all times. So when cops on the Autobahn saw a car cruising at a speed of 70 mph (112 kmph), in a suspicious manner, they initiated a chase and honked their patrol vehicle, signaling the driver to pull over.
Shockingly enough, the car didn’t pick up the speed nor did its speed got lowered due to the police prompts. When the cops peered over, their suspicion was confirmed. They found the driver of the car dozing with his seat reclined, and the car being driven on autopilot.
After 15 minutes of honking and chasing, the driver somehow managed to pull over the car and had to hand over his license.
The Facts of the Matter
Popular YouTuber MKBHD recently did self-driving on everyday road video where he put his Tesla on autopilot, and took viewers to a ride, showing how stressful and relatively inconvenient autopilot mode is. Despite its promises, the feature is still in its infancy, and has in the past been the cause of several road accidents.
Cops Find Car Being Driven on Autopilot
Recently in Germany, a Tesla driver had to part ways with his license after he was chased by the police for 15 minutes, as he dozed off behind the wheel, with his car being driven on the autopilot mode. The incident was reported from Autobahn 70 and occurred earlier on December 29.
“The driver was driving on the A70 from Bamberg in the direction of Bayreuth around 12 p.m. when the police patrol wanted to subject him to a traffic check. He did not respond to stop signals or repeated horns from the officers,” the police report stated.
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Suspicion Confirmed
The police were suspicious that the car driver was not in control as the vehicle kept the same distance from the patrol car for quite a distance, while being driven at the speed of 110 kmph. When the officers peered over, their suspicion was confirmed as they found the driver dozing off and his hands off the steering wheel.
After several honks and a 15-minute period of the police making efforts to catch the driver’s attention, the latter was able to pull over. When confronted, the driver “showed drug-typical abnormalities during the check-up”.
Driver Installed ‘Steering Wheel Weight’
Interestingly, the driver also found a steering wheel weight installed by the driver which was attached to the steering wheel. This was set up to fool the vehicle’s system into presuming that it was the driver’s hands on the steering.
While an investigation has been kicked off into filing criminal offence regarding endangering road traffic, the man has been left without a license till the court decides.
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