The police took a drunken Tesla driver off the road on Thursday night. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, but the autopilot function of the car kept the car moving. The police report this in a message on Instagram.
The Tesla was driving on the A27 at Eemnes when the police encountered the sleeping driver.
The police gave the stop sign and tried to brake the car by driving for it. This did not work and in the end the police were able to wake the sleeping driver with the siren. The man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. His driver’s license has been suspended.
Normally, the safety systems of the Tesla must check whether a driver is still awake in autopilot mode. It is not known why these systems did not signal the driver that he fall asleep.
The autopilot in Tesla cars may currently be activated only on the highway in the Netherlands. The car then navigates over the lanes and chooses the correct exits depending on the chosen route.