A Tesla Model 3 owner was arrested yesterday by California Highway Patrol (CHP) for sitting in the backseat of his car while Autopilot was engaged. It appears as though his arrest for reckless driving and spending a few hours in Santa Rita jail hasn’t been enough to change his idiotic behaviour.
Following his release from jail, 25-year old Param Sharma was interviewed by Fox 2 News, and showed no remorse for his actions. Sharma said his habit of sitting in the backseat of his car with no one in the driver’s seat isn’t dangerous, and vowed to continue doing it, even claiming he made it home from jail by performing the same stunt in a friend’s Tesla.
Sharma’s reckless behaviour appears to stem from his unwavering faith in Elon Musk and Autopilot.
“I’ve been brake-checked before really hard, and the car stopped. The car came to a complete stop. Elon Musk really knows what he’s doing and I think people are tripping and they’re scared,” he said.Â
According to the interview, Sharma says he drives the same route several times while in the driver’s seat to make sure Autopilot can handle it. He says he only gets in the backseat once he’s comfortable it can.
What Sharma seems incapable of realizing is that even driving along the same road 1,000 times, each time will be different due to the uncontrollable surrounding environment.
He is scheduled to appear in court on July 6, 2021. Hopefully he doesn’t kill an innocent bystander before then.
You can watch his full interview below.
