Tesla Autopilot May Have Prevented a Tragedy After Drunk Man Passed Out at the Wheel
(ANTIMEDIA) San Francisco — On January 13, a Tesla vehicle’s Autopilot feature may have prevented tragedy after a California man decided to drive while drunk. From the San Francisco Chronicle over the weekend:
“‘Autopilot’ should not be conflated to ‘self-driving,’ as one allegedly inebriated Tesla driver found out after failing to cross the Bay Bridge last Saturday evening.
“The man had apparently passed out in the stopped car while stuck in the flow of busy bridge traffic at 5:30 p.m. that day, according to the California Highway Patrol. When he was awoken, he ostensibly attempted to reassure arresting CHP officers onsite that the car was ‘on autopilot.’”
CHP officers regularly patrol the bridge and were quick to respond to the situation. The driver’s blood alcohol level was found to be twice the legal limit, and the man was arrested.
On January 19, the CHP made light of the situation on Twitter, posting a photo of the incident and briefly giving the details before stating:
“He was arrested and charged with suspicion of DUI. Car towed (no it didn’t drive itself to the tow yard).”
When u pass out behind the wheel on the Bay Bridge with more than 2x legal alcohol BAC limit and are found by a CHP Motor. Driver explained Tesla had been set on autopilot. He was arrested and charged with suspicion of DUI. Car towed (no it didn’t drive itself to the tow yard). pic.twitter.com/4NSRlOBRBL
— CHP San Francisco (@CHPSanFrancisco) January 19, 2018
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While it’s fortunate no one was injured that evening, things could have easily gone another way, as Ars Technica explained on Monday:
“No cars on the market right now have fully driverless technology available. Autopilot, Supercruise, and other products are driver assistance products — they’re designed to operate with an attentive human driver as a backup. Driving drunk using one of these systems is just as illegal as driving drunk in a conventional car.”
Continuing:
“It is possible that the Autopilot feature saved the man’s life — or the lives of others on the road at the time. Autopilot requires the driver to keep his hands on the wheel. If the driver ignores the car’s warnings to put his hands back on the wheel, it will come to a gradual stop. This could explain how the car wound up stopped on the Bay Bridge.”
Tesla has long warned owners against growing lax at the wheel simply because the Autopilot feature is engaged. In response to the Bay Bridge incident, a company spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle that “autopilot is intended for use only with a fully attentive driver.”
Creative Commons / Anti-Media / Report a typo