Tesla Autopilot user banned from driving for 18 months

A Tesla owner in England has been banned from driving for 18 months for turning on Autopilot and moving to the passenger seat while his Model S was in motion.

Bhavesh Patel, 39, of Nottingham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving last week, according to Hertfordshire police. The car was going an estimated 40 miles per hour at the time.

Footage released by the police shows a white Model S with no one in the driver’s seat. The video was taken by a passenger in another car that drove past Patel’s vehicle, police said.

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Patel admitted to police what he did was “silly” but said he was merely the “unlucky one who got caught,” they said.

Patel “not only endangered his own life but the lives of other innocent people using the motorway on that day,” said investigating officer Kirk Caldicutt. “This case should serve as an example to all drivers who have access to autopilot controls and have thought about attempting something similar.”

Patel was also fined 1,800 euros, given 100 hours unpaid work and ordered to serve 10 days “rehabilitation,” police said.

The driving ban for using Autopilot — which provides driver assistance but is not meant for fully autonomous driving yet — comes as Tesla faces renewed scrutiny over the technology after a recent fatal crash in the Bay Area during which Autopilot was engaged.

After a previous fatal crash, in 2016 in Florida, Tesla faced some pressure to change the Autopilot name because some say it gives drivers the impression that the technology allows for fully autonomous driving despite the company saying otherwise. A few years ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company would have to put constraints on Autopilot to prevent people from doing “crazy things.”

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