Tesla On Autopilot Clocked Going 82 MPH While The Driver Was Sleeping

A Tesla driver was caught napping behind the wheel as his car barreled down the interstate in Illinois in autopilot mode. Several motorists saw the driver slumped over the steering wheel and called 911. One person said the Tesla would speed up when no cars were around and slow down as it approached other vehicles.

A Kenosha Deputy was dispatched to investigate and pulled up alongside the Tesla.

"According to the deputy, the driver did appear to be asleep, noting that the driver's head was down and was not looking at the road," the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department wrote on Facebook.

When the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the Tesla did not pull over. The officer followed the vehicle, which was clocked going 82 mph, for two miles.

After the deputy pulled alongside the car for a second time, the driver woke up and pulled off to the side of the road. The driver, identified as 38-year-old Mitul Patel, denied he was sleeping but did admit he was tired. The officer did not notice "any signs of impairment" but could see that the car was in autopilot mode. Patel was issued a ticket for inattentive driving.

"You can't be sleeping behind the wheel," Sgt. David Wright told the Daily Herald, "even if the technology has gotten to the point where it's possible."

Photo: Getty Images