Sleeping while driving a Tesla

[Dru Edwards]

RCMP in Alberta pulled over a Tesla Model S after they found both the driver and the passenger asleep in the car with the seats fully reclined. They were doing 140 km/h (86 mph) on auto-pilot. When the RCMP tried to pull over the car, the lane cleared in front of the Tesla, with the occupants still asleep, and the car sped up to 150 km/h (93 mph) because it sensed a clear lane.

The driver is 20 years old. They got a speeding ticket, issued a 24 hour license suspension for fatigue, and issued a criminal code charge for dangerous driving with a summons for court.

Who would actually recline their seat and do this on a highway?

Your thoughts?

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Your thoughts?

My thoughts are largely unprintable. Good grief.

[TJN]

Welcome to the future.

[offkey]

Don't you mean sleeping while not driving? With 20 year olds it might be better to have a brainless computer driving.

[Daniel Grenier]

Isn’t that the whole point about self driving cars? They drive themselves? Mind you, this one (the car that is, never mind the kid) was not smart enough to at least obey the speed limit.

[raysachs]

My brother has a Tesla and he keeps saying the auto-pilot is getting better and better. I think you're still supposed to have your hands on the wheel when it's driving you, though, so I'm not sure how they pulled off the fully reclined nap. He doesn't sleep, but he says long drives are far FAR less tiring because it does such a good job on the highway - very few times he has to really engage...

-Ray

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by TJN

Welcome to the future.

I hope the manufacturer of the first self driving car that runs into me has very deep pockets.

I'm not a litigious person by nature, but I truly believe there are things we are just plaing taking too far.

[jpd]

PURE INSANITY

[Cecil6243]

I'd had bad dreams like that. In car with no control! In the back seat trying frantically to get to the drivers seat!

[Gitfiddlemann]

I wonder how the RCMP got the car to pull over and stop. Did they have to wake the idiot up?

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Who would actually recline their seat and do this on a highway?

A twenty-year-old. They think they are indestructible. Drive through any college campus and see if a student doesn't step directly in front of you, forcing you to throw on you brakes to not hit them.

Bob

[Pura Vida]

Yikes! I can't fall asleep in the passenger seat, when the car is moving.

[robj144]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

A twenty-year-old. They think they are indestructible. Drive through any college campus and see if a student doesn't step directly in front of you, forcing you to throw on you brakes to not hit them.

Bob

To be fair, I still do that at crosswalks on my campus where it clearly says stop for pedestrians, but people seldom do if you're waiting to cross on the side. I'll step right in the road.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by AndreF

I wonder how the RCMP got the car to pull over and stop. Did they have to wake the idiot up?

I read the story because I couldn’t believe it. Apparently they pulled alongside and hit the siren. It’s also implied that this is not something a Tesla should normally do unless the programming is altered.

[Dru Edwards]

AndreF wrote:

Originally Posted by AndreF

I wonder how the RCMP got the car to pull over and stop. Did they have to wake the idiot up?

Neil replied:

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

I read the story because I couldn’t believe it. Apparently they pulled alongside and hit the siren. It’s also implied that this is not something a Tesla should normally do unless the programming is altered.

Now that's an alarm!