It took seven miles to pull over a Tesla with a seemingly asleep driver

submitted by Mnemonic from (arstechnica.com)

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[–]Tom_Bombadil 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

The car shouldn't be speeding in autopilot. Was there some moving violation, etc?
Does anyone know why the car was pulled over? How would they know he had been drinking?

[–]Mnemonic[S] 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (6 children)

The car shouldn't be speeding in autopilot.

That's a good point, but seeing a 'sleeping' or possibly dead driver warranted the police enough I think to take action. The Tesla autopilot does require a active driver according to Tesla and in The Netherlands a dude was fined for using his phone while auto-piloting.

Just typing this, I forsee in the nearby future a dead body being delivered home.

[–]magnora7 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

Just typing this, I forsee in the nearby future a dead body being delivered home.

I'm sure people died on their horses in the 1800s too. People used to be able to get drunk at the saloon and the sober horse would know exactly where to go. Seems pretty damn convenient. Sometimes I think we've moved backwards in some respects

[–]Mnemonic[S] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

Oh woow, I just got a new Idea. Instead of horse being cool and taking you home, you attach a bomb.

Can I Sue ISIS when they use my patented TESLA-SELFDRIVING-BOMB plan?

I mean, wooow, people hacked doom into Porches, altering the firmware code of a Tesla to ingore speedlimits and ignore 'people' while driving full speed into a building before the airbag triggers a bomb... Also, /u/Chop_Chop might help me out, lithium-Ion batteries are a bad, BAD fire hazard.

I'll stick with bicycles ┐(‘～` )┌

On a more serious note:

Sometimes I think we've moved backwards in some respects

No we regressed beyond redemption, A horse (delicious when the meat is smoked, I admit) is more human than a car. That we can see a car (not saying you, but I'm sure people are) as more human than a horse... We are entering an age in which compliance is seen as human and having your own mind as a horse. (Not a personal pick, just a general observation about the general talk about 'smart' cars, nah, Horses are smarter, top level is still the cats though).

[–]magnora7 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Haha goofy idea. But you have to train the horse to know that route by heart first. I don't think it would work very well.

Yeah and horses are definitely smarter than smart cars, that's a good point. At least my car doesn't poop on the floor and have to be fed every day though I guess

[–]Mnemonic[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

True, true, but I can't eat my lithium-ion battery when I'm starving, can't make a jacket out of the skin, or condoms out of the intestines when I have to sell my body...

And I believe I've seen a western with a horse (or carriage) strapped with glycerine heading to blow up something?

At least my car doesn't poop on the floor

Ah! Yes, but just like a car you don't take a horse indoors :p

[–]happysmash27 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Many cars poop in the atmosphere though, which is a bit harder to clean up :/

[–]Tom_Bombadil 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

The resident corpse chauffer. That's preferable to the flying into a ravine version.

It would be interesting to know what the reason the "driver" was "pulled over".
I worked in San Jose for 4 years (lived in the bay area for 7 years), which is very close to Palo Alto. I'm quite familiar with 101. The majority of this highway is 4 lanes plus a HOV lane, so I think it's unlikely that a cop casually observed someone who "appears" to be sleeping. Especially if it was in the evening. Sounds unlikely. It is possible, though. I'd love to hear their explanation.

The driver could be a repeat DUI offender (or something similar), so maybe they were tipped off. We'll probably never know for sure. The excuse feels too convenient.

Or maybe he ate too many edibles. -I've been there.