Man Gets Busted For Speeding. Then Blames It All On Tesla's Self-Driving Feature

You've heard the bathroom excuse, the tired excuse — now, get ready for the "my car made me do it" speeding excuse. A Tesla was pulled over in August 2026 for going 64 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone, but the driver has insisted this wasn't his own doing. Instead, he said that he was using Tesla's Full Self-Driving mode, according to the Parker Police Department, which shared the encounter on Facebook. 

The excuse didn't fly with the Parker Police. The post went on to say, "Here's the reality: Driver assistance technology does not replace the driver. Whether your vehicle has adaptive cruise control, lane centering or full self-driving, you are still legally responsible for operating your vehicle safely." And Tesla's full self-driving mode is, in fact, not full self-driving. It's currently at Level 2, which means the software is only meant to assist an active human driver. This hasn't stopped some drivers from relying on it extensively, including one who used it to do a cross-country road trip. 

In almost every situation involving Tesla's Full Self-Driving mode — from speeding to an accident — the driver is considered legally responsible. Because Tesla's FSD is not actually autonomous and is, instead, Level 2, the driver is required to be fully engaged during the entire drive. California even ruled that Tesla's name, "Full Self-Driving," was false advertising. 

In fact, this could be where the confusion comes in. CEO Elon Musk has continued to claim FSD is autonomous over the past decade, even telling drivers they can text and drive while it's active. On another recent occasion, Tesla promoted a "heartfelt" story of a nearly blind man using FSD to drive a Cybertruck. Musk admitted FSD was not capable of autonomous driving in early 2026, which led to a handful of lawsuits from Tesla owners who were promised out-of-reach capabilities. 

Despite calling its driver assistance Full-Self Driving, Tesla is quick to not take any responsibility for speeding vehicles. As if to further underscore this point, Tesla removed a feature in July 2026 that allows drivers to cap how far they want their vehicle to drive over the speed limit while FSD is engaged. This has left even more drivers wary of FSD on the road, with many feeling it's dangerous.