Tesla owner arrested after being caught ‘backseat driving’

[trutolife27]

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/california-police-arrest-backseat-tesla-driver



A man who was spotted riding in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 with its partially automated driving feature apparently engaged was arrested on Monday after fellow motorists alerted the police.

(CHP)
The California Highway Patrol reported that 25-year-old Param Sharma was taken into custody when an officer at the Bay Bridge toll plaza in Oakland saw the car pass by without anyone in the driver's seat.

According to the report, the officer witnessed Sharma get into the driver's seat and bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle was towed and Sharma was taken into custody and charged with reckless driving and disobeying an officer.



The CHP said Sharma had previously been cited on April 27 for similar behavior and that video of someone resembling him riding in the back of a Model 3 with no one visible in the driver's seat had been posted to social media.

Sharma told KTVU that he spent the night in jail and that after he was released on Tuesday night he rode home in the back seat of a friend's Tesla with no one sitting in the front seat.


"I’ve been brake-checked before really hard, and the car stopped. The car came to a complete stop. Elon Musk really knows what he’s doing and I think people are tripping and they're scared," Sharma said.

The latest version of Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature is capable of driving a vehicle in many conditions and following navigation instructions, but requires someone to be buckled into the front seat and occasionally touching the steering wheel to prove they are paying attention, or else it will disengage.


Some Tesla owners have used weights attached to the steering wheel that mimic a driver's hand to beat the system, the latter procedure recently demonstrated by Consumer Reports. It is not clear if such a device was present in the car in the video.

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Tesla's less-capable Autopilot feature has been connected to several fatal accidents involving drivers who were apparently relying too heavily on it and not paying proper attention to the road. The National Transportation Safety Board has called on the automaker to enact stronger safeguards on the operation of its driver aids to prevent similar situations.


Sharma is scheduled to appear in court on July 6 and told KTVU that he has every intention of continuing to ride in the back seat, and said that by next year everyone will be doing the same.

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[trutolife27]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/param-sharma-tesla-backseat-driver_n_609c011fe4b03e1dd38493d0

 

[sockmeister]

Sharma is scheduled to appear in court on July 6 and told KTVU that he has every intention of continuing to ride in the back seat, and said that by next year everyone will be doing the same.

On that statement alone, he should have his driving privileges revoked for at least a year or more.

 

[macchiaz-o]

The latest version of Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature is capable of driving a vehicle in many conditions and following navigation instructions, but requires someone to be buckled into the front seat and occasionally touching the steering wheel to prove they are paying attention, or else it will disengage.

Dear Fox News, this is horrible reporting right here. ?

 

[CHeil402]

On that statement alone, he should have his driving privileges revoked for at least a year or more.

By his backwards logic he doesn't need his driving privildges since his car's driving. He seems like a real class act...

KTVU reported that Sharma characterized himself as being above the blue-collar world.
“I don’t drive and I don’t fill up gas. I am a gold collar,” he said.

 

[sockmeister]

By his backwards logic he doesn't need his driving privildges since his car's driving. He seems like a real class act...

KTVU reported that Sharma characterized himself as being above the blue-collar world.
“I don’t drive and I don’t fill up gas. I am a gold collar,” he said.

Ok, that settles it. This guy needs to be thrown off the planet ?

 

[Stang68]

I fully blame Elon for not wanting to put eye-monitoring hardware in his cars. Ford, GM, BMW, etc all are doing it with proven success.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Put a GPS tracker on him with a requirement he report in to authorities any time he will travel faster than 20 mph.

 

[Mach-E VLOG]

Everyone: I wonder where he got the idea that he doesn't need to be in the driver's seat?

Tesla:

 

[SyNRG]

KTVU reported that Sharma characterized himself as being above the blue-collar world.
“I don’t drive and I don’t fill up gas. I am a gold collar,” he said.

Pompous entitled prick!

 

[ARK]

A reckless driving charge is entirely appropriate.

 

[HuntingPudel]

A reckless driving charge is entirely appropriate.

I hope that the fine is insane.

 

[buffasnow]

>KTVU reported that Sharma characterized himself as being above
>the blue-collar world. “I don’t drive and I don’t fill up gas.
>I am a gold collar,” he said.

Elongated Muskrat Jr.

 

[louibluey]

After jail or prison, there should be one or two years where he is required to drive something like a 1976 Chevy Chevette manual transmission as his only option (sample from Wikipedia page, this one is too nice, although I do like the idea of probation orange).

 

[All Hat No Cattle]

Sharma told KTVU that he spent the night in jail and that after he was released on Tuesday night he rode home in the back seat of a friend's Tesla with no one sitting in the front seat.

I don't know which is worse.

That a friend lent this lunatic his Tesla and he got it to drive with no one in either front seat.

Or the friend is a lunatic also, and rode in the passenger seat.

Maybe the fact that there might be 2 Tesla loonies driving around California is worse?

Sort of puts the debate about that Dr. that went out in a blaze of Tesla glory in a different light.

Some debate along the lines of "You can't do that with a Tesla". Oh, really?

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