This article was published on January 10, 2020

Tesla driver arrested for flossing at 84 mph on autopilot

No, not the Fortnite dance


Tesla driver arrested for flossing at 84 mph on autopilot

Autonomous driving looks set to be a part of our motoring future. Whilst it sounds great, there might be one thing it can never account for: the stupidity of some drivers.

Ok, “stupidity” might sound strong, but traveling at high speed without paying full attention isn’t exactly a good idea, as one Tesla driver in Ontario found out this week.

According to a tweet from the Ontario Provincial Police, a 58-year-old Tesla driver was stopped by Burlington officers for travelling at 84 mph (ca. 135 km/h) whilst flossing their teeth with both hands. The driver was using autopilot to guide the vehicle at the time.

Authorities have charged the individual with careless driving.

This isn’t the first instance where a Tesla driver has put perhaps a little too much faith in their vehicle’s self-guidance system.

Last year videos emerged online of a man seemingly fast asleep at the wheel of his Tesla as it cruised down the highway at 60 mph (ca. 97 km/h) on autopilot.

At least in the case of the “two-handed flosser”, they were awake and conscious at the time.

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