They say the truth always comes out, right? And this Tesla driver in Sweden has taken this phrase to the extreme. What started as an attempt to deceive an insurance company after an accident took an unexpected turn and ended with a story of betrayal and a clear lesson. The key to it all? A video recorded by his ex-wife. Wait, what? What are you reading! This is the story of how a misuse of the autopilot ended in a conviction, stay and we’ll tell you the gossip!
The accident:
Last August, on a road near Tärnsjö in Sweden, a thirty-five-year-old man decided to test whether his Tesla’s autopilot was working properly while he was travelling with his then-wife. She recorded a video while the driver deliberately left the driver’s seat, and let the car drive itself. What happened then? The Tesla’s AUTOPILOT system issued alerts shortly before disengaging, but it was too late. The Tesla vehicle crashed into a guardrail causing quite extensive damage. When the man decided to report the accident to the insurance company, he claimed that the car had lost traction on the ice and that the wheels had locked up. However, he failed to mention a small, unimportant detail, which is that he had activated the autopilot and was not even at the wheel at the time of the crash!!
A few months after the accident, the couple’s relationship ended and in an unexpected turn of events the ex-wife decided to take revenge on her ex-husband by handing over to the police the video of the incident which clearly showed reckless driving! So, while he was trying to cheat his car insurance, this video was key to the judge’s decision at the trial.
This case eventually went to the High Court, where the man was found guilty of insurance fraud and negligent driving. After viewing this video, he received a suspended sentence, 200 hours of community service and was ordered to pay 716,570 Swedish krona (about $65,000) as compensation to the insurance company.
Every technology carries a responsibility (or something like that)
This case has shown that the misuse of technology (such as the autopilot in this case) can lead to serious legal consequences. And even if Tesla equips its vehicles with very advanced safety systems, you should never take your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel, and much less leave the driver’s seat!!!! Remember that you are never alone on the road (and often, not even in your own car as in this case), and that reckless driving can take the lives of many people.
Although the man claimed that he believed that the Tesla automatically sent videos of the incidents to the insurance companies, and that his ex-wife had drugged him (something that could never be proven) he had to bear the consequences of his actions.
From this news-gossip we can learn three lessons:
- Responsibility at the wheel is crucial, even if you use the autopilot.
- Drivers must understand the benefits and limitations of the technology in our vehicles and make good use of them.
- Trying to cheat an insurance company can either work out well, or it can cost you thousands of dollars, as happened to this man. Better not take any chances and take responsibility for your own decisions.
And although this case may seem like the first episode of a sitcom, it is important to remember that the driver put his life and the lives of the occupants of his vehicle at risk for a “joke”, and beyond the scandal of this news about the betrayal and attempted deception, we must be aware that we are never alone on the road and that we must take care of both human property and the environment, which belongs to everyone.