The man works to transport cars from dealers to buyers, and fell asleep behind the wheel of the 2019 Tesla Model X he was on his way to deliver, reports We Car Owners.
At the time, the man had the Autopilot system activated. The name of the system may seem to suggest that the car can drive itself, but this is not the case.
The driver is still responsible for the performance of the car and must keep a watchful eye.
Tesla blocked the outside lane
The incident occurred on the E4 between Mjölby and Norsholm.
That the man was asleep behind the wheel was discovered by another motorist, when the Tesla was lying and blocking the outer lane.
After the discovery, the passenger, who was also driving a Tesla, called the police and got behind the driverless car with the hazard lights on.
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Drove asleep for 4 miles
When the police arrived, they tried to stop the crew, but the man did not react and continued to sleep.
When the police car pulled up alongside, the man woke up, whereupon the Tesla swerved towards the police car, which had to make a sharp evasive maneuver.
Finally – after a full four miles – they managed to get the driver to turn into a petrol station
“When we explain to the driver what happened and what he did, I realize how dangerous this actually was. I get shocked, angry and tired. He barely understands what happened, in my opinion,” describes one of the police officers in the incident report.
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Now the man is sentenced
In questioning, the man explained the incident by saying that he had not slept the previous night, and felt that because of work he had to drive the car. Initially he claimed that he had one eye open, but he later changed his mind on that point.
– I dozed off pretty well, I stand for that 100 percent. I am extremely ashamed, it was because of exhaustion, the man is said to have said in interrogation.
He also stated that the Tesla Autopilot system played a crucial role, as it made him very comfortable.
Now the man has been sentenced to negligence in traffic.
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Autopilot not legal in Sweden
Although the Autopilot system apparently managed to drive the Tesla quite a bit without incident, that does not mean that you as a driver can fully rely on it.
Tesla Autopilot is designed so that the driver has to keep their hands on the wheel, but this doesn’t seem to have worked very well in this case. According to the witness who discovered the journey, the driver never touched the steering wheel.
When the incident was first reported, police posted a text on its website where it is clarified that “the use of autopilot in itself is not yet legal in Sweden”.
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