A man driving a red Tesla was pulled over in Parker after an officer found him traveling 64 mph in a 45-mph zone, but his explanation for the speeding was unexpected: He blamed the car.
The Parker Police Department on Wednesday released body camera footage from a July 21 traffic stop in which the driver told an officer he was not responsible for the vehicle’s speed, pointing instead to its driver-assistance features.
The footage, shared in a video posted by the police department on Facebook, appears to have been recorded at around 2:34 p.m. that day.
The driver repeatedly denied responsibility for the speeding, according to the footage, and at one point asked to speak with a supervisor. The officer did not appear persuaded by the explanation, and requested the driver’s license before ultimately issuing a speeding ticket.
Parker police said driver-assistance technology is designed to assist drivers, not replace them, and that motorists remain responsible for their vehicles while using the systems.
“Whether your vehicle has adaptive cruise control, lane centering or full self-driving, you are still legally responsible for operating your vehicle safely,” police said.
“That includes obeying speed limits, paying attention to the road and remaining in control of your vehicle.”
While the officer said he wasn’t entirely sure how the system worked, he noted that this wasn’t the first person he had stopped who appeared to be on autopilot.
As electric vehicles continue to gain popularity in Colorado, self-driving and driver-assistance technology is also becoming more common on the state’s roads.
Tesla, for example, has equipped all new vehicles with its Autopilot system since April 2019.
The system includes Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, which matches a vehicle’s speed to surrounding traffic, and Autosteer, which assists with steering within a clearly marked lane while using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, according to Tesla’s website.
Despite these features, Tesla emphasizes that Autopilot is a hands-on driver-assistance system designed to be used only with a fully attentive driver.
The company’s website states that Autopilot does not turn a Tesla into a self-driving vehicle or make it autonomous.
Drivers are still required to maintain control of the vehicle. Autopilot provides escalating visual and audio warnings when insufficient steering-wheel torque is detected, and repeatedly ignoring these warnings will result in Autopilot being disabled for the remainder of the trip.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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