Teslas are quite capable of driving themselves on highways and while drivers are always prompted to keep their hands on the wheel at all times even when that functionality is enabled, there has always been the potential for misuse. That’s likely what was happening when the cops tried to pull over a Tesla Model S last week in California with a seemingly asleep driver at the wheel.
The California Highway Patrol tried to pull over a Tesla Model S last week with a driver that seemed to be asleep behind the wheel. The car was going southbound on Highway 101 in Palo Alto. The officers say that they couldn’t get the man’s attention.
A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol told KCBS radio that “One of the officers basically ended up going in front of the vehicle and basically tried to slow it down.” The car apparently kept going for about seven miles before it came to a stop.
One would immediately think that the driver had the Autopilot system enabled which is why the car was able to drive itself. However, officials haven’t confirmed that as yet. It’s also quite possible that Autopilot saved the driver’s life because falling asleep behind the wheel of a car tends to cause bad accidents more often than not.
The driver, Alexander Samek, serves on the Los Altos Planning Commission. He was later arrested for driving under the influence.