Tesla’s autopilot mode has been facing a lot of criticism due to driver’s utter carelessness while driving. From past few months there has been an increase in accidents while the car is on autopilot mode.
In the very recent incident, Kenosha County deputy David Gomez, was set out to look for a Tesla model 3 which was pacing at a speed of 82 mph (131 km/h) and the driver was believed to be sleeping. Gomez said he followed the car for about 2 miles with continuous honking and siren but the driver was still asleep. It wasn’t until he came alongside the car and tried to wake up the driver and finally he pulled off the car.
The driver was a 38 year old, FedEx employee who was on his way to do his job. He stated that he wasn’t asleep but was just too tired and hence he switched to autopilot mode. He also mentioned that the autopilot mode requires you to touch the steering wheel periodically to ensure driver’s attention.
However, according to Gomez, this was not the first time this incident has been reported. Two other attempts to pull over a car with this registration had been made before, both with the driver’s head was down and they were seemingly asleep while the vehicle continued to travel on its own.
Though, the driver wasn’t booked for speeding but faced a penalty of $187 citation for inattentive driving. Later, the car was towed as Gomez felt it wasn’t safe for the 38-year-old to get behind the wheel again.
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