Tesla driver using Autopilot suspended from driving for moving to passenger seat

This story is reprinted with permission from FC&S Legal, the industry’s only comprehensive digital resource designed for insurance coverage law professionals. Visit the website to subscribe.

A man who switched on his car’s sutopilot before moving to the passenger seat while traveling on a public road has been banned from driving for 18 months.

Guilty of ‘dangerous driving’

Bhavesh Patel, 39, of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in St. Albans Crown Court on Friday, April 20.

The court heard that at 7:40 p.m. on May 21, 2017, Patel was driving his white Tesla S 60 and, while the car was in motion, he switched on its Autopilot function before moving across to the passenger seat and leaving the steering wheel and foot controls completely unmanned.

Related: Insurers eyeball automated vehicle autopilot issues

A witness noticed that Patel, who had owned the car for a maximum of five months at the time of the incident, sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle.

No one could be seen in the driver’s seat and Patel appeared to have his hands behind his head.

The witness, who was a passenger in another car, filmed Patel as the car drove past; the video can be seen at https://youtu.be/o1Qc7dMmL5o.

Heavy traffic, traveling at 40 mph

Witness accounts stated that traffic was heavy due to congestion and prosecutors estimated that the vehicle was traveling at approximately 40 mph at the time.

Footage of the incident was first posted on social media before it was reported to police and a notice of intended prosecution was then sent to Patel. He was later interviewed by police officers, who said that he admitted that he knew what he had done was “silly” but that the car was capable of something “amazing” and that he was just the “unlucky one who got caught.”

As part of the investigation, officers obtained a statement from a Tesla engineer who described Autopilot as a “suite of driver assistance features.”

Intended for ‘fully-attentive driver’

The engineer stated that these are hands-on features intended to provide assistance to a “fully-attentive driver.” Traffic-aware cruise control (TACC) assists with acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle while autosteer provides assistance with steering of the vehicle.

Prosecutors said that further literature provided by Tesla stated that drivers should “never depend on TACC to adequately slow down model S, always watch the road in front of you and be prepared to take corrective action at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death.”

Related: Tesla crash with autopilot triggers safety board’s interest

The investigating constable, Kirk Caldicutt, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Road policing unit, said, “What Patel did was grossly irresponsible and could have easily ended in tragedy. He not only endangered his own life but the lives of other innocent people using the motorway on that day.

‘Example to all drivers’

“This case should serve as an example to all drivers who have access to autopilot controls and have thought about attempting something similar. I want to stress that they are in no way a substitute for a competent motorist in the driving seat who can react appropriately to the road ahead.

“I hope Patel uses his disqualification period to reflect on why he chose to make such a reckless decision on that day.”

As well as his 18-month disqualification, Patel also was ordered to provide 100 hours of volunteer work, ordered to carry out 10 days rehabilitation, and ordered to pay £1,800 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Related: Tesla escapes recall in probe of death linked to autopilot

Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., is the director of FC&S Legal, the editor-in-chief of the Insurance Coverage Law Report, and the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc. Email him at smeyerowitz@meyerowitzcommunications.com.