A Tesla driver in Norway decided to get behind the wheel of his Model S while drunk, resulting in him falling asleep while driving while the autopilot was engaged.
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The driver assistance system managed to safely stop the electric vehicle.
The incident occurred in the eastern region of Norway on Friday, July 30.
Drivers who passed the Tesla Model S on the road realized that the driver was seemingly unconscious at the wheel of his electric vehicle.
They followed the driver and filmed driving down the road with his head down for over a minute.
Eventually, the Tesla Model S stopped on its own and the drivers tried to wake up the driver who still appeared unconscious.
Eventually, police arrived at the scene and determined that the driver, a 24-year-old man, was drunk.
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In a public statement, police said the driver denied driving:
«At 0540 · a Tesla pulls up in the tunnel. It turns out to be a 24-year-old man who has fallen asleep at the wheel. He is also drunk, but stubbornly denies that he was driving. Although there is a video of him from the car ... The necessary samples have been taken».
In the past, drunk drivers using Tesla Autopilot have used the driver assistance system as an excuse to avoid charges of "driving under the influence" by claiming that the system was driving, not them.
However, Tesla Autopilot is not a self-driving system but a driver assistance system and the driver is always responsible for the vehicle and must remain alert and ready to take control at any time.
When activating Autopilot capabilities, Tesla reminds drivers that they are responsible for the vehicle and must be ready to take control at any time.
See also: Tesla: Update 2021.24 brings many new features
As a fail-safe for people who are sleeping, the system regularly sends alerts to keep the steering wheel steady if it detects no movement.
If these alerts are repeatedly ignored, Autopilot will eventually slow the car down and pull over to the side of the road. Police said they have seized the Tesla driver's license.
