This drunk driver caught with a DUI had the nerve to tell police that it was all under control thanks to autopilot.
Sooner or later some piece of work with enough dough for a Tesla was going to do it, and here it is. According to CHP San Francisco in a shocking tweet they posted earlier yesterday, (Jan. 20,2018) they responded to an emergency call for a man stopped in busy commute traffic in his Tesla. Upon arriving at the scene and assessing the situation, police gathered that he was driving under the influence. Check out the tweet for yourself below.
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
As the tweet mentions, it doesn’t just stop at a DUI. According to SF Gate on the same story they report that the driver
“…ostensibly attempted to reassure arresting CHP officers onsite that the car was “on autopilot.”
You read that right. Instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, he legitimately tried to put the responsibility on his car to get him safely home.
Autopilot is a barely Level 2 out of 5 technology of autopilot driving which uses a suite of proprietary software thanks to cameras and LIDAR which still requires the driver to stay fully conscious to take control of their Tesla should anything happen.
To remind any readers, Level 3 allows drivers to take their eyes off the road and Level 4 means you can take a safely take a nap. Level 5, and there isn’t even a steering wheel. Suffice to say, we are a LONG way to go from where this guy’s excuse would’ve been acceptable.
Because we’re just a couple of years into having cars with driver assist at this level, police and media oftentimes will have to confirm with car makers just to get it on the record that autopilot doesn’t mean self driving.
And that’s just what CHP did in this situation, getting a statement from Tesla that this guy’s pretty much wrong, Tesla drivers using autopilot need to keep their hands on the steering wheel and should be ready to take control at a moments notice.
The driver was slapped with a DUI, his car towed away, and is now the unofficial scapegoat for potential drunk Tesla owners even thinking about getting behind the wheel.
Repeat after me. “Autopilot is not self-driving. Autopilot is not self-driving. Autopilot is not self-driving.”
