Bhavesh Patel, 39, of Alfreton Road, Nottingham, has been banned from driving after he moved into the passenger seat of his Tesla while it was in autopilot mode on the M1. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at St Albans Crown Court.
The incident occurred on the M1 between junctions 8 and 9 near Hemel Hempstead. A witness in another car filmed Patel sitting in the passenger seat of his Tesla S 60 and posted the footage on social media, which led to police involvement.
In court, Patel admitted his actions were “silly” but claimed his car was capable of something “amazing”. A Tesla engineer’s statement clarified that the autopilot system is designed to assist a “fully-attentive driver”.
PC Kirk Caldicutt of Hertfordshire Police condemned Patel’s behaviour as “grossly irresponsible” and said it could have easily ended in tragedy, endangering both his own life and others on the motorway.
Patel was disqualified from driving for 18 months, ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, and instructed to pay £1,800 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
