{"id":6399,"date":"2026-03-30T11:54:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/?p=6399"},"modified":"2026-03-30T11:54:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:54:40","slug":"tesla-driving-car-home-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/tesla-driving-car-home-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"No, Tesla owners, your self-driving car can’t drive you home from the bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of really great bars aren\u2019t within walking distance of residential areas due to zoning regulations, historical sites, and other factors. Traditionally, cabs or designated drivers were the sensible way home at the end of a drinking session, but now self-driving cars are a thing, you can just have your Tesla<\/strong><\/a> take you home, right?<\/p>\n

Wrong<\/em>. As one Tesla driver recently found out in California, you will be arrested and likely charged with a DUI if you\u2019re caught behind the wheel of a self-driving car while over the limit. The Vacaville Police Department managed to stop the vehicle after a member of the public reported it was being driven by an unconscious man behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

Initially suspecting the man had suffered an emergency, the Police located the vehicle with the caller\u2019s help and brought it to a stop. In a Facebook post following the incident, the police department claimed that the fact \u201cthe vehicle was still moving through busy city streets\u201d was a bigger concern.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, the Tesla driver in question did himself no favors by napping at the wheel, but even if you\u2019re fully conscious, you\u2019ll be breaking the law.<\/p>\n

Tesla\u2019s \u201cFull Self Driving\u201d isn\u2019t actually full self-driving. In fact, the company has had to rename the “Autopilot” feature<\/a> in California because it was ruled to be misleading. So if you\u2019re using FSD, you\u2019re still responsible for what that vehicle does. If it runs a red light and t-bones someone, you\u2019re the one at fault. If it whips past a cop at 110 mph, you\u2019re the one getting the ticket. And if you\u2019re absolutely sloshed and caught behind the wheel of your Tesla, you\u2019re going to jail.<\/p>\n

Of course, this doesn\u2019t just<\/em> apply to Tesla. While Elon Musk\u2019s company has made a big song and dance about its self-driving system, other companies have also invested heavily in the tech. It\u2019s great for taking the sting out of road trips, but you\u2019ll fall into the same legal trouble if you try to make it drive you home after an evening on the sauce. Though the technology is advancing pretty rapidly, and things could change in the near future.<\/p>\n

We will probably see cars take over from designated drivers soon<\/h2>\n
\"A
Source: Waymo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While a \u201cself-driving\u201d vehicle won\u2019t save you from a DUI at the moment, the chances are the rules will change over the next few years. At present, most jurisdictions will charge you if you\u2019re deemed to be operating or otherwise in charge of the operation of a vehicle while your blood alcohol level is over that state\u2019s limit. It\u2019s the same reason you can get arrested while in the passenger seat if a learner driver is chauffeuring you around while drunk, or even arrested for trying to sleep it off inside the vehicle with the keys on you in some places.<\/p>\n

In a \u201cLevel 4\u201d autonomous vehicle<\/a>, the kind that doesn\u2019t have pedals or a steering wheel, you can\u2019t be in charge of the car. Even when you\u2019re sober, you have no way of physically controlling what that vehicle does. So these vehicles will likely be fine to ride in once you\u2019ve had a few. The same goes for self-driving taxis<\/a>. It\u2019s unlikely Uber or Waymo is going to breathalyze you before you hop in for a ride, and you aren\u2019t the one driving anyway.<\/p>\n

With that being said, US laws are a bit of a patchwork, and different jurisdictions will almost certainly see things differently. Both with regard to sitting in a self-driving car while drunk, and with self-driving cars in general. And things get a little blurrier the further you move down the self-driving pyramid.<\/p>\n

Level 3 self-driving cars are where things get a little shaky. As they\u2019re capable of operating without driver input, but can also be driven manually, legislators may be less comfortable giving drunk drivers a pass. Especially if they\u2019re sitting in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n

And Level 2 self-driving, which even leading OEMs like Tesla, GM, and Ford use in some form, is definitely<\/em> out of the question. In both a legal sense and according to the manufacturer, you are responsible for a Level 2 vehicle, whether it\u2019s \u201cdriving itself\u201d or not. Just as you\u2019re responsible for a vehicle when riding shotgun with a learner behind the wheel. This is almost certainly not going to change.<\/p>\n

Still, hopefully, lawmakers are ready to embrace technology in this kind of legislation. Despite crackdowns, drunk driving is still a major issue and a significant cause of road deaths. Some estimates show up to 30% of fatalities on US roads involve at least one person who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.<\/p>\n

Ubers are expensive, and people are a bit stupid when they\u2019ve had a few. Giving them a safe and easy way to get home will almost certainly reduce incidents and could save hundreds of lives. Then again, when have politicians ever been sensible? Especially when it comes to touchy issues that can easily be spun into soundbites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lot of really great bars aren\u2019t within walking distance of residential areas due to zoning regulations, historical sites, and … <\/p>\n

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