No Tesla is completely self-sufficient and therefore should not be perceived as such. Yet the drivers do it. And that has serious consequences.
Blind faith in a 'self-driving' Tesla has now had serious consequences for an American motorist.
The driver, a 56-year-old Model 3 owner, struck and killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist with Tesla's Autopilot system engaged.
No Tesla is self-sufficient. Tesla also only says that their cars have 'self-driving capabilities'. But some drivers choose to interpret that as a valid reason to turn off their brains in traffic.
Something that on Friday afternoon last week cost the 28-year-old motorcyclist his life on a highway in the US state of Washington.
READ ALSO: Now the police are getting many more license plate scanners
The Tesla owner also told the police directly that he trusted 'that the machine would drive the car for him'. The driver was not found to be too drunk to be behind the wheel.
However, he admitted to having drunk an alcoholic beverage for the accident, which happened at 15.54 local time. According to local media, the 56-year-old used the car's autopilot and not the 'fully self-driving features' assistant system, FSD, when he killed the motorcyclist.
The two systems are often mixed up or confused with each other. The autopilot is nothing more than a lane assistant and an advanced cruise control with camera connection.
Tesla probably cannot be blamed for anything in connection with the tragic incident either. The car brand makes it clear that drivers must be 'fully present in the car and have their hands on the steering wheel at all times' in connection with the use of the assistant systems.
However, it is not only Tesla owners who like to put their brains in the passenger seat. Even in older cars without much 'self-driving' technology, drivers blindly trust the equipment that may have been installed in the car.
This was, for example, the case for a Toyota Corolla owner who ended up in the water. Afterwards, the driver explained that 'the GPS said I should'.
When the police arrived at the scene, the Toyota was still idling, and when it was pulled out of the water, the police could not immediately find any damage. Read more about the matter here .
Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here!
