German police chase Tesla on autopilot while driver sleeps

A bizarre incident in Germany has shown exactly how Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assistance software can be easily misused by irresponsible owners.

Police in Bavaria say they chased a Tesla driver who they claim had engaged the automated functionality and gone to sleep.

The pursuit lasted for an alarming 15 minutes at around noon at a speed of 68 mph on the A70 autobahn near the town of Bamberg.

Despite officers repeatedly signaling and blasting their horn at the car, there was no response from the driver.

In a statement, the Bamberg police force said: “It was noticeable that the vehicle kept the same distance from the patrol car in front from the Viereth-Trunstadt junction to the Bamberg-Hafen junction at 110 kilometers per hour [68mph].

“Officers found that the Tesla driver was reclining in the seat with his eyes closed and his hands off the steering wheel. This strengthened the suspicion that he had left the controls to the Autopilot and had fallen asleep.”

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