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The mainstream media outlets pay particular attention to reporting on any accidents involving Tesla vehicles, but they prefer not to pay attention to how many lives they have saved. Tesla Autopilot saved the life of a suspected DUI driver who passed out while driving and safely stopped the car when a police car pulled out in front of it.
On September 17, the driver of the Tesla car who passed out while driving was taken into custody in California. Karla Villanueva, 31, is suspected of drunk driving. At about 11:00 pm on Thursday, the Tesla vehicle hit a wall on the elevated roadway from State Route 134 to Interstate 5 and then continued moving. The California Highway Patrol car drove out in front of the Tesla, gradually slowed down, blocking passage until it stopped. Tesla Autopilot reacted by stopping the car.
While some media and ill-wishers may again blame Tesla and its Autopilot system for this situation, it is obvious to any sane person that there is no manufacturer fault. Regardless of whether the car has Autopilot or not, some people sometimes drive drunk. Drunk driving is a serious problem. Alcohol has long been known as a roadway killer. Drinking and driving kill 28 people a day in the U.S.—about one person every 52 minutes, according to the NHTSA. That is more than 10,000 lives lost each year to drunk driving. Drunk driving is responsible for about 1/3 of traffic fatalities. And these are just statistics for the U.S.
These numbers are horrendous and unfortunately, there is currently no remedy to get rid of drunk driving. Nevertheless, as practice shows, Tesla Autopilot can have a significant impact on the consequences of drunk driving. With advanced functions, it not only monitors the safety of the vehicle on the road but can also stop the vehicle if the driver shows signs of inattention and does not respond to warning signals. Tesla Autopilot saves lives.
© 2021, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
