A Tesla driver was caught sleeping on Autopilot with their seat “fully reclined” at high speed, in response to police who criminally charged the motive force.
Alberta RCMP (Canada federal police) reported on a wierd incident involving a Tesla vehicle on Autopilot.
“Alberta RCMP received a grievance of a automotive speeding on Highway 2 near Ponoka. The automotive gave the impression to be self-driving, traveling over 140 km/h with each front seats completely reclined and occupants gave the impression to be asleep.”
With this report, they shared the image of a Tesla Model S vehicle on Twitter:
Tesla Autopilot will not be a “self-driving” system but a set of driver assist features.
While it may well technically drive autonomously on highways without driver interventions, Tesla asks drivers to maintain their hands on the wheel and to concentrate in any respect times.
The automaker also implemented a system that requires drivers to incessantly apply light torque to the steering wheel to ensure that Autopilot to remain lively.
Some Tesla drivers have been getting across the system by attaching a weight to the steering wheel — a practice considered dangerous by US regulators (and anyone with half a mind).
On this incident, the police reported some strange behaviors from the vehicle, which was presumably on Autopilot:
“After the responding Officer activated emergency lights on their vehicle, the Tesla robotically began to speed up. The Officer was in a position to obtain radar readings on the vehicle, confirming that it had robotically accelerated up to precisely 150 km/h.”
The police said that the vehicle eventually stopped, they usually gave the motive force a speeding ticket.
Later, they decided to also charge the motive force for dangerous driving under the criminal code.
Electrek’s Take
This will not be the primary time we’ve heard of individuals sleeping inside their vehicles on Autopilot. Nonetheless, this report is basically strange.
Let me start by saying that using Autopilot at such high speed is dangerous to start out with. Should you will not be being attentive, reclining your seat, and going to sleep, I believe it’s best to actually be criminally charged.
The police seems to suggest that the automotive accelerated by itself after they activated their emergency lights.
Tesla has a limit of 90 mph — 150 km/h on Autopilot.
The motive force might need set that speed, which again is crazy, and there might need been a lead automotive that moved out of the way in which — enabling the Tesla to speed up.
But that’s all speculation.
Either way, that was a dangerous use of Autopilot. I’m glad the police are discouraging it with severe charges to the motive force.