German police discovered a Tesla about 15 minutes after commencing a traffic stop close to Bamberg. Authorities believe that because the driver’s seat was reclined, he dozed off while the Tesla was moving on its own in autopilot. They claim to have found a safety bypass system inside the car.
The driver’s licence was revoked after it looked like he dozed off while operating his Tesla, which was in autopilot, and giving the police a chase.
Officers attempted to pull over the Tesla, but the vehicle did not stop, the Officials noticed that the car was moving at a speed of about 70 mph and did not slow down or accelerate up during the attempted traffic stop, the Tesla “kept the same distance from the patrol car in front” as they traveled along the autobahn according to the police.
Officers came up next to the Tesla’s driver-side window and observed the driver, who was identified as a 45-year-old male name, sitting back in his seat with his hands off the wheel and his eyes closed.
This “backed the idea that he had set the vehicle on autopilot and had slept off,” according to investigators. After 15 minutes of the pursuit, the driver finally woke up and complied with police’s orders to stop.
Additionally, according to the police, the driver was under the influence of drugs. The individual “exhibited drug-typical irregularities throughout the check-up,” according to the same source. The possibility that a new prescription may have put the driver to sleep is therefore possible, but that explanation cannot explain why the seat was reclined. Additionally, the weight of the steering wheel in the car’s footwell is not taken into consideration.
The driver had put a “so-called steering wheel weight in the footwell” of the vehicle’s driver’s side, according to further research, This device is said to simulate that his hands are on the steering wheel in order to deceive the vehicle’s safety system.
The driver’s licence has now been suspended pending a formal hearing while a criminal investigation into traffic endangerment is ongoing.
Until police can wrap up their investigation into the felony of endangering road traffic, the car driver has temporarily lost their licence. Arguments in favour of and against Autopilot will undoubtedly persist in the future.
While some say that if this had occurred in another vehicle, falling asleep at the wheel would have likely resulted in serious or even fatal injuries, others insist that the system is inherently dangerous because it may be tricked, as it appears to have been in this case.
POLICE PURSUE TESLA ON AUTOPILOT AFTER THE DRIVER SLEEPS OFF.
