Associated Incidents
A rather strange incident recently happened on the autobahn near Bamberg, Germany. While patrolling the area, police noticed a Tesla apparently traveling on autopilot while its driver slept. It took 15 minutes for the all-electric vehicle to be stopped by authorities.
A press release from the Bavarian police provided a number of details about the incident. According to the press release, traffic officials have noticed something unusual about a Tesla driving on the A70 from Bamberg towards Bayreuth. Officers attempted to put the driver through a traffic stop, but quickly realized that stopping the car was easier said than done.
The Tesla driver, a 45-year-old man whose identity has not been released, did not respond to stop signals or repeated horns from officers. Instead, the driver appeared to be sound asleep, with the seat reclined, eyes closed, and hands off the wheel. Despite this, the Tesla drove at a constant speed of about 110 km/h (about 68 mph). He also kept a constant distance from the patrol car from Viereth-Trunstadt to the Bamberg-Hafen junction.
Authorities determined that the Tesla driver may have engaged autopilot before falling asleep at the wheel. A 15-minute ordeal ensued before the Tesla driver woke up and complied with instructions from authorities. According to the police press release, the 45-year-old man at the wheel of the Tesla showed "drug-related abnormalities during the examination". But that's not all. Officers also found a steering wheel weight in the Tesla's footwell.
Steering wheel weights are one of the most controversial accessories a Tesla owner could use. Essentially, such a product is designed to make a Tesla believe that the driver has their hands on the wheel, even when they don't. As such, steering wheel weights could be considered defeat devices and are therefore extremely dangerous. In this case, one could be thankful that autopilot was active during the incident. Without autopilot, the driver would certainly have crashed as soon as he fell asleep.
A preliminary investigation into the offense of endangering road traffic was initiated against the Tesla driver. The driver would then have to surrender his driver's license, at least until the court rules that he can drive again.
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Tesla stopped on autopilot after driver fell asleep, defeat device found: German police