After causing a traffic accident, a visibly drunk Tesla driver tried to trick police into thinking Autopilot was on at the time of the crash. He thus assures that he was in the passenger seat when the vehicle deviated from its trajectory. Problem: Autopilot can only be engaged if the driver is behind the wheel.
Lately, Tesla’s Autopilot has been under close scrutiny by the authorities. And for good reason: the technology is suspected of being responsible for almost fifty people, following severe malfunctions. Fortunately, not all of these accidents result in tragic endings. On the other hand, it seems that Autopilot is becoming an increasingly common excuse to justify the clumsiness of drivers.
On July 29, in Zhejiang province, China, a driver lost control of his vehicle. When the authorities arrive on the spot, he already has an alibi all found. “No, no, I was not driving, the vehicle was driving itself”, he pleads. Only here it is, it does not take long for the police to notice that the owner of the Tesla is somewhat tipsy, which is confirmed later.
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He blames the Autopilot for an accident he committed
Thus, the driver continues his explanations by stating: “I figured I had an Autopilot option in this car, so I used that option to move the car to the north gate. I did not expect to have an accident shortly after driving”. So far, the testimony holds up…until the fatal error. Indeed, the driver continues by admitting to having been in the passenger seat at the time of the events.
But this is perfectly impossible. The Autopilot is set so that it can only work when the driver is behind the wheel. Otherwise, it cannot be used. The driver has therefore revealed the pot of roses: in all likelihood, it was his alcohol abuse that led to the accident, proving once again that some people get a little too comfortable when their vehicle is equipped with a automatique.
Source: CNEVPost