Authorities say Tesla driver was asleep as car traveled at over 80 mph

Wisconsin authorities say they pulled over a driver on Sunday who appeared to be asleep while his 2019 Tesla was traveling at 82 mph in Autopilot mode. 

The driver, who denied he had fallen asleep, was given a ticket for inattentive driving.

Kenosha County issued a statement from its sheriff announcing the incident on Tuesday. 

It said an officer pulled over a driver heading north on Interstate I-94 after pulling alongside the vehicle. The officer reported that the driver appeared to be asleep, as the driver’s head was down and he was not paying attention to the road.

The police officer then sought to pull the driver over, putting on his lights and sirens. But the driver did not initially stop, and instead the police officer followed him at a speed of 82 miles per hour for two miles before the driver did pull over. The police officer said the driver did not notice he was being pulled over until the officer drove alongside the Tesla for a second time.

The driver was identified as a 38-year-old man from Palatine, Ill.

The driver didn’t show any signs of impairment, the police report said, but told the officers he was tired. According to the release, he denied falling asleep in the vehicle. 

This is the latest report of someone not being in control of a Tesla that was in Autopilot mode. 

California police arrested a man last week who was sitting in the backseat of his Tesla vehicle while it was in Autopilot mode.