PDRM investigating Singaporean TikTok couple for driving completely hands-free with Tesla Autopilot

The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) is currently tracing the couple in the viral TikTok video demonstrating their Tesla Model 3’s Autopilot system on the North-South Highway. The driver is under investigation for driving with his hands off the steering wheel.

Superintendent Dr Bakri Zainal told GuangMing reporters that while the use of Autopilot system is not against the law in Malaysia, driving with your hands off the steering wheel is. Note that driving with both hands always on the steering wheel has always been a requirement.

Hence the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement team will look into the driver’s actions on his viral TikTok videos.

Bakri pointed out that although the system is there for use, this doesn’t mean that drivers can take their hands off their steering wheel or take their attention off the road and surroundings as demonstrated in the TikTok video uploaded by SGPikarchu.

Other than that, Bakri also announced that before Malaysia come up with regulations for self-driving vehicles, the autonomous self-driving system is prohibited in the country for the time being.

The caution taken by PDRM against the autonomous driving system is not completely unfounded. Throughout the years, Tesla’s Autopilot system has proven that it is not totally foolproof. Bakri quoted a case in California where two people were killed after the system failed.

Bakri even quoted a research done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently also shows that the use of automated driving functions can lead to inattention and insensitivity of drivers to the road conditions around them.

So, not only will the system pose a threat to the passengers in the car, it will also pose a threat to other road users.

He also added that even in advanced countries like the United States, autonomous driving is still prohibited in various states. 

Back to the TikTok video, the Singaporean couple were amongst the many who took advantage of the border’s reopening on 1-April-2022. The couple left Singapore at midnight to make their way to Penang.

It was along the North-South Highway that the driver decided to show off the Tesla Model 3’s Autopilot system. The TikTok clip has since gone viral garnering the attention of even the authorities.

The driver is now under investigation based on the Road Transport Act 1987.

On a side note, Bakri stated that PDRM is not entirely against the use of autonomous driving systems, however, he stressed that even though these systems are there for use, that doesn’t mean that drivers can take their attention off the road or even their hands off the steering wheel.

Many cars sold today are capable of Level 2 semi-autonomous driving, including Honda Sensing- and Toyota Safety Sense-equipped models, even the Proton X50. However, nearly all manufacturers have put in place safety nets to cancel the function's use if there is no steering intervention from the driver for more than 15 or 20 seconds (depending on manufacturer). Adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist are only meant to assist, not replace the driver.