Funny FSD story

Here is a funny FSD story.

I was driving on FSD using my Tesla Model X and I noticed a police officer following me. I actually just let FSD go the exact speed limit so I did not worry about it. I suddenly noticed that he was turning when I turned and finally he pulls me over. I took over manually fast so I do not know how FSD would have handled it (my mistake). I immidately saved my Tesla-cam video for evidence purposes.

So he asks for the usual and I provide it. I then ask what was the issue because I know I was not speeding. He said that I was pulled over because I was driving "too good". He says when someone is driving that exact on the speed limit they are usually trying to hide something. I then explained that I was using Tesla's FSD and that is why I was so exact. He did not know what that was so I explained. He then said that it was not possible. So I said I could show him if he liked. He left his car with the police lights on on the side of the road and got in to my car. We then ran FSD around the block and officer was shocked.

As he returned to his car he told me that he will not pull over Tesla's that are driving perfectly anymore and then laughed.

Crazy but funny.

 

[T061]

I am insulted by your "BS' comment. I asked the officer if you wanted to get in my car and see. He did not ask or force himself in anyway. The officer was respectful and professional. I do think curiosity played a role but Police officers are human beings not constitutional robots?

P.S. I would never file a complaint against this officer. The way I see it; I eductated a new person on Tesla.

This is why I called BS:

1) Cruise control has been around for many years yet he said it was not possible?

2) Most people drive around the speed limit around the police for the fear of being pulled over. Why would this officer be amazed that you're driving the speed limit? They're tasked with enforcing traffic laws (like people speeding) and making the roads safer, yet you're being punished for driving too good?

3) He told you that he stopped you for driving too good and driving the speed limit? Basically this dummy admitted to you (probably on camera of some sort) that he violated your constitutional rights? This would make him the opposite of respectful and professional thought...

Police have to meet a legal standard in order to legally detain you. Not-speeding does not meet that standard.
Cops are trained enough to know this. Most cops would probably tell you exactly why they stopped you if you asked.
If he illegally detained you, he could be civilly and criminally liable. It's unlikely that this officer just blatantly told you he had no legal reason to stop you.

4) You're claiming that this officer abandoned his squad car on the road so he can go for a spin with you?
This could be a liability because he's got no good reason to block traffic (since he's going for a spin in your car) and if someone crashed he could be liable.
And...

5) He actually got in your car and let you drive him around the block.
This simply goes against basic cop training for safety reasons. Not to mention the obvious contradiction in logic: the implication is that he stopped because you were suspicious (since you were driving too good and the speed limit!), yet he disregarded his initial suspicion and hopped in the front for the joyride.

Don't take it personally. I'm not trying to offend you.
Any one of these claims should raise a red flag to anyone, but your story is just full of them and as a result I don't think it's likely. Frankly I'm surprised that people are buying it.

 

[Resist]

I then explained that I was using Tesla's FSD and that is why I was so exact. He did not know what that was so I explained. He then said that it was not possible.

I find it hard to believe that a police officer wouldn't know that Tesla's can do most of the driving. This has been common knowledge for years and the police are knowledgable about many vehicles. I remember probably 3 or 4 years ago reading about some officers that discovered a driver was sleeping (because he had be drinking) and couldn't get his attention to pull over, and they knew if they moved in front of him and slowed down they could get the car to stop, which they did.

 

[father_of_6]

I then explained that I was using Tesla's FSD and that is why I was so exact.

I find it hard to believe that a police officer wouldn't know that Tesla's can do most of the driving.

I find it hard to believe that FSD was driving that well. LOL, j/k

 

[BitJam]

Cops, like most of us, often make decisions by gut feel and may not be able to fully articulate the reason for the decision. ISTM the cop that pulled over the OP may have been going on not just the the constant speed but also driving centered in the lane. I believe him that nearly perfect driving would appear suspicious.

Where I live I'm happy if people stay in their own lane and stay out of mine. I will disengage FSD to stay away from oncoming cars that have or are about to cross the double yellow line. I'll also disengage to stay away from bicyclists to my right or cars parked on the shoulder. I wish we could use the right scroll wheel to scooch the car over in the lane although I can see why Tesla wouldn't want to do this. Staying in the center of the lane may be safest statistically but I prefer to drive more defensively in case someone around me does something stupid. For example, if a car ahead of me seems to be struggling to stay in their lane then I will slow down to avoid passing them.

FWIW, my state has a high rate of DUI.

 

[JulienW]

Could be the officer thought the driver was DWB.

 

[KArnold]

Maybe it's just me but when I see someone driving 55 MPH in a zone marked the same (especially construction zones) I just assume they are running drugs. Very rare, almost non-existent behavior.

 

[JB47394]

I find it hard to believe that a police officer wouldn't know that Tesla's can do most of the driving.

Prepare to be surprised. Watch the various dashcam channels on YouTube. There's one devoted exclusively to Teslas. Over the past year, I've seen countless videos where there was a serious crash, the police showed up and a Tesla owner offered to show the accident as recorded by their cameras. It was common for there to be a mention that the police were surprised by the cameras on the Tesla and that having that video evidence makes their job so much easier. I just saw one where firemen were surprised by it and they wanted the Tesla owner to wait for their fire chief to show up.

I would expect police to know that Teslas record everything around them in an accident long before I would expect them to know that there is self driving software being tested on a couple hundred thousand vehicles. Yet they regularly don't know about the cameras, though that is apparently changing as more and more people install dashcams on their own. It's becoming standard practice to offer your car's dashcam recording to victims of a crash or to the police.

A quick rant here is that cars should have had GPS navigation systems as standard a long, long time ago. That's integral to operating a car. Given the number of collisions and the number of deaths due to collisions, I'm astonished that insurance companies and police agencies never lobbied for mandatory dashcams. They should also be standard. Both were signs of a thoroughly standard auto industry. It's so great seeing the shakeup in that industry as a result of Tesla and it's follow-on EV startups.

 

[Yelobird]

Maybe it's just me but when I see someone driving 55 MPH in a zone marked the same (especially construction zones) I just assume they are running drugs. Very rare, almost non-existent behavior.

A drunk runs a stop sign, a stoner waits for it to turn green.

 

[EVNow]

Police have to meet a legal standard in order to legally detain you. Not-speeding does not meet that standard.
Cops are trained enough to know this. Most cops would probably tell you exactly why they stopped you if you asked.
If he illegally detained you, he could be civilly and criminally liable.

Do we live in the same country ?

have-to <> they do.

Senator Tim Scott said in a speech in the senate that he has been stopped 18 times in the past few years for no particular reason, for eg.

 

[clydeiii]

OP, I believe you. Also who cares.

 

[Resist]

Police have to meet a legal standard in order to legally detain you. Not-speeding does not meet that standard.
Cops are trained enough to know this. Most cops would probably tell you exactly why they stopped you if you asked.
If he illegally detained you, he could be civilly and criminally liable. It's unlikely that this officer just blatantly told you he had no legal reason to stop you.

You can be legally stopped for a simple safety check of your vehicle. Driving isn't a right, it's a privilege.

 

[T061]

Do we live in the same country?

have-to <> they do.

Senator Tim Scott said in a speech in the senate that he has been stopped 18 times in the past few years for no particular reason, for eg.

If a politician said it, it must be true.

 

[clydeiii]

I see no reason to not take Tim Scott at his word here but ok.

 

[JulienW]

I see no reason to not take Tim Scott at his word here but ok.

Quick anecdote: Back in 2001 bought a Honda S2000 and at first it was an “exotic” looking car. On S2000 forum a Lockheed engineer (black) in TX had one on order and all excited. Posted lots of pics first day. A week later he had been pulled over twice (boy where did you get that car?). It was continues and he even posted a pic of the dozens of warning tickets he got. Final straw was on way to yearly performance review and got pulled over and missed. Lost bonus and a year of promotion. Sad and NOT a funny story but he had to sell and buy a conservative looking Camry so he wouldn’t be pulled over so much. Was a real eyeopener reading the “adventure” over a year or so it unfolded.

 

[kavyboy]

You can be legally stopped for a simple safety check of your vehicle. Driving isn't a right, it's a privilege.

That is simply not true. It varies by jurisdiction, for example. I've seen all kinds of things people try to justify under "privilege, not right", but that doesn't mean you lose your rights when you get into the driver's seat.

 

[EVNow]

If a politician said it, it must be true.

Sometimes even politicians tell the truth !

 

[EVNow]

You can be legally stopped for a simple safety check of your vehicle. Driving isn't a right, it's a privilege.

Nope. Again and again it has been ruled that unreasonable search is unconstitutional … that includes your vehicle.

Traffic Stops: Police Powers Under the Fourth Amendment | Office of Justice Programs

www.ojp.gov

 

[doug]

I got pulled over, supposedly for speeding, while in the middle of a line of cars all going at a reasonable speed. I was using NoA with adaptive cruise control, so I thought it was odd. This was a couple years ago while driving through Pennsylvania. The cop hadn't seen the inside of a Tesla before and was very curious about the car. When I had to put in a code to open the glove box to get my registration, the guy acted like I was James Bond or something. He "let me off" with a warning and then said, "If you don't mind me asking, sir. What do you do for work?". That pretty much confirmed for me that he just pulled me over to see the car, rather than any legit reason.

 

[DrChaos]

It's a funny story, but that's not OK to be pulled over for "driving too good". "Driving too good" cannot be probable cause for a traffic stop, otherwise they could pull you over for pretty much no reason at all.

That's the point. They can pull you over for pretty much no reason at all and modern courts are exceptionally pro-cop, even when they beat up people.

 

[Resist]

They can pull you over for pretty much no reason at all and modern courts are exceptionally pro-cop, even when they beat up people.

Oh stop! Anti Police, hmmmmm.