Burnett & Williams

Driverless Car ‘Passenger’ Arrested In UK

Driverless Car ‘Passenger’ Arrested In UK

photo © Shutterstockcom

Some recent high-profile incidents have shown us that self-driving cars will not eliminate car and truck accidents. And while we may be creeping ever closer to a world in which self-driving vehicles prove to be a safe alternative to driver-manned cars, one impatient man in England decided recently to put self-driving technology–or, in this case, semi-autonomous driving technology–to the test. He put his Tesla on autopilot and climbed into the passenger seat, leaving the wheel and pedals unattended. While he didn’t cause an accident, law enforcement was not amused. For his highway experiment the man has been barred from driving for 18 months, and we can all hope that other drivers don’t follow his example as self-driving technology evolves. “Driver Assist” technology is already providing safety advances, but “self-driving” cars are still in the future.