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Model S Drives Itself at 60 MPH on the Highway, Human Stupidity Is Limitless

Like music mogul Simon Cowell said a while back after he broke his back while test-riding an e-bike that proved too much for him: read the user manual first. This also applies to Tesla and the capabilities of the Autopilot.
Driverless Tesla speeds down the highway at 60 mph in new viral video 3 photos
Photo: TikTok / blurr.tv
Tesla Model S on Autopilot crashes into police cruiser, which crashes into trooper's car on the highwayTesla Model S on Autopilot crashes into police cruiser, which crashes into trooper's car on the highway
Debates on whether Autopilot should even be called that go back several years, since the first fatal accident involving Autopilot and a driver not paying attention. For its part, Tesla keeps repeating the same thing: despite what the Autopilot name might suggest, this is not self-driving technology, so the driver must be at the wheel, with his or her hands on the wheel and the eyes on the road, ready to take over at a second’s notice.

No one told this to the “star” of the latest viral video. By now, we’re accustomed to seeing some pretty stupid stuff on TikTok, but this takes the crown for this week: a bunch of bros (four of them) took a Tesla Model S on the highway, put it on Autopilot and left the driver seat empty. As the car was doing 60 on the freeway, they chilled back, sang to Justin Bieber’s Baby and sipped on seltzers.

The level of stupidity here is incredible. First (and least) of all, the U.S. has the open-container law, which would make all four dudes liable for fines for drinking seltzers in a moving car in the first place. The owner of the car could probably still get hit with a DUI charge, even if he wasn’t in the driver seat.

Then there’s the more dangerous stuff about “when the car is a better driver than you are,” which is hardly the case. Sure, Autopilot can go in a straight line on the highway and can even avoid obstacles or brake in case of an emergency, but that doesn’t mean you can simply hop out of the driver seat and chill in the passenger one.

Third, if you’re going to do stupid, highly reckless and illegal stuff, at least don’t post evidence of it on social media.

That said, Teslas are technologically-advanced EVs with a driver-assist system that’s often referred to as the best on the market right now. But even as such, it still has a long way to go to Level 5 Autonomy, which is when it will be perfectly capable of driving the car by itself, without a human operator present. You still won’t be able to drink alcohol inside the car (probably), but at least you’d be in a position to say the car is a better driver than you are.

@blurr.tv

Tesla was the DD for the night ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##viral ##tesla ##dontletthisflop

l original sound - blurrblake
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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