Photo: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
Here’s hoping this doesn’t become some “trend:” following several highly mediated crashes in which a Tesla on Autopilot slammed into stuff because the driver wasn’t paying attention, a couple of teenagers tried to use the Autopilot “excuse” to get out of trouble.
Spoiler: it did not work. But it does make for an interesting story.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) reports that a deputy noticed a 2018 Tesla Model 3 driving on the wrong side of the road last week, as it was coming out of a gas station. To prevent the driver from heading into heavy traffic, the deputy summoned the Tesla to pull over. It did but, just moments later, the car backed into the patrol car.
Since both vehicles were stationary, the damage was minimal: the patrol car received a scratch on the bumper, and the damage to the Tesla was about $300. But what the deputy found inside the Tesla game him pause, at least at first: there was no one in the driver seat.
There were two teenage girls inside, aged 14 and 15; one sat in the passenger seat and the other in the backseat. Asked about why they reversed into the patrol car, the girls claimed that the car had been driving itself on Autopilot and that it was Autopilot too that backed into the police car. One of the girls would later admit that the other had been driving before engaging Autopilot, so she was cited for driving without a license.
In a statement, Sheriff Rick Staly highlights the obvious: even if it’s a “smart” car that can seemingly operate itself or with minimal human intervention, you still need a driver’s license. We could also add: don’t blame Autopilot for when you’re eventually caught for joyriding without a driver’s license and you accidentally back into the police cruiser.
“These kids are very lucky that no one was hurt and their actions didn’t have more serious consequences,” Staly says. “It doesn’t matter if you are driving a ‘smart car’, driving without a license is still against the law. I hope these kids have learned a valuable lesson and I am grateful that no one was hurt and only minimal damage occurred to their vehicle.”
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) reports that a deputy noticed a 2018 Tesla Model 3 driving on the wrong side of the road last week, as it was coming out of a gas station. To prevent the driver from heading into heavy traffic, the deputy summoned the Tesla to pull over. It did but, just moments later, the car backed into the patrol car.
Since both vehicles were stationary, the damage was minimal: the patrol car received a scratch on the bumper, and the damage to the Tesla was about $300. But what the deputy found inside the Tesla game him pause, at least at first: there was no one in the driver seat.
There were two teenage girls inside, aged 14 and 15; one sat in the passenger seat and the other in the backseat. Asked about why they reversed into the patrol car, the girls claimed that the car had been driving itself on Autopilot and that it was Autopilot too that backed into the police car. One of the girls would later admit that the other had been driving before engaging Autopilot, so she was cited for driving without a license.
In a statement, Sheriff Rick Staly highlights the obvious: even if it’s a “smart” car that can seemingly operate itself or with minimal human intervention, you still need a driver’s license. We could also add: don’t blame Autopilot for when you’re eventually caught for joyriding without a driver’s license and you accidentally back into the police cruiser.
“These kids are very lucky that no one was hurt and their actions didn’t have more serious consequences,” Staly says. “It doesn’t matter if you are driving a ‘smart car’, driving without a license is still against the law. I hope these kids have learned a valuable lesson and I am grateful that no one was hurt and only minimal damage occurred to their vehicle.”
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