Tesla Autopilot Stopped a Drunk Driver, but Is This Tesla’s Fault?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Tesla Autopilot has its benefit and drawbacks but offers help for the most part. While Tesla has been working hard to get Full Self-Driving up and running, it isn’t there yet. However, one intoxicated driver put far too much faith into the autonomous system, and it didn’t pay off. Is Tesla responsible for people using Tesla Autopilot in the wrong way? Not necessarily.

What does Tesla Autopilot do?

Tesla Autopilot in the Tesla Model S | Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images

Tesla has a variety of features that assist drivers on the road. According to Tesla, “Autopilot advanced safety and convenience features are designed to assist you with the most burdensome parts of driving. Autopilot introduces new features and improves existing functionality to make your Tesla safer and more capable over time.” Additionally, Autopilot helps drivers steer, accelerate, and brake automatically.

The one big stipulation listed is that Autopilot still requires active driver supervision, and it does not make the vehicle autonomous. In other words, you still have to be an active participant in driving the car.

Is Tesla Autopilot self-driving?

Tesla Autopilot is not completely self-driving, regardless of what the title might infer. Over the weekend, another person spotted a Tesla Model S driver sleeping behind the wheel in Norway. It was clear he was not awake and paying attention behind the wheel. Autopilot was steering and guiding the car. Presumably, the driver input the destination after getting in the car. He then decided to nap. Electrek reported that the driver was intoxicated.

Other drivers on the road witnessed this behavior and tried to wake the driver, but he was fast asleep driving down the road. One of the main features of Autopilot is that even though the car is driving, it still asks for driver input and control occasionally. If a situation arises, the vehicle will ask the driver to overtake and operate on its own.

Tesla Autopilot was chiming in and asking for a response from the driver of this Model S. Eventually, since it did not get a reply, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. The police determined the 24-year-old man was intoxicated. The police gave a statement that confirmed the speculation.

“At 0540; a Tesla stops in the tunnel. It turns out to be a man 24 years old who has fallen asleep behind the wheel. He is also drunk, but stubbornly denies driving. Although there is a video of him from the car … Necessary samples have been taken.”

Electrek

The driver still needs to be an active participant

There is always an argument that Tesla Autopilot isn’t safe, but the feature helped this situation end without issue? Without Autopilot, this intoxicated driver would have just been navigating the streets without help. He could have seriously hurt himself or someone else.

Of course, there is always the argument that Tesla encourages this behavior with the whole Autopilot situation. But for all intents and purposes, Tesla Autopilot was why this story did not have a tragic ending. On the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability section on Tesla’s website, Autopilot is defined as follows:

“Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel…Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver.”

Tesla | Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability

In conclusion, a drunk driver behind the wheel of a Tesla is not the companies fault. Tesla Autopilot is designed to assist the driver. It does not drive the car on its own. The title of “Full Self-Driving” capability doesn’t exactly make the situation clearer, but Tesla and Elon Musk are working on it.

RELATED: Can non-Tesla Electric Vehicles Charge at Tesla Charging Stations?

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Why You Should Plan Your Next Motorcycle Ride in Kentucky

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Kentucky is one of the most iconic states to see nature, wildlife, and scenic vistas. But even more appealing is experiencing these wide-open spaces and blanketed forests from a motorcycle. The winding roads and rolling hills may be calling you this summer and fall, and planning a motorcycle ride through the Bluegrass State is easy when you know where to go.

Here are a few places worth seeing for yourself. And with the Kentucky breeze on your face, you’ll understand why enthusiasts say this state offers some of the most incredible motorcycle rides. 

Daniel Boone National Forest is breathtaking

Blake Miller rides the backroads of Kentucky on his new Harley-Davidson motorcycle | Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Kentucky is rich with National Parks and countless recreational areas. And Daniel Boone National Forest is one of the most breathtaking to see from a motorcycle. The U.S. Forest Service says visitors can see sprawling stretches of dense woodlands. But a motorcycle ride through here will also mean breathtaking views of waterways, winding hills, and chance wildlife. You’ll also want to get out your camera when you see the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge.

Jenny Wiley State Park never disappoints

As you plan your motorcycle ride through Kentucky, allow time to drive through Jenny Wiley State Park. Another state gem, this site is located near Prestonsburg and offers a host of activities. Boating and fishing, elk viewing tours, mountain biking, hiking, and bourbon sampling are available. But a quiet drive through this beautiful park may be all you need. And Kentucky State Parks offers plenty of camping and lodging options if you choose to spend a night or two in this gorgeous landscape.

Mammoth Cave is a Kentucky must-see

Don’t forget to make time on your motorcycle ride to explore Mammoth Cave. This is the world’s longest-known cave system and a true must-see. Thousands of years of human history wait to be explored, along with an incredible diversity of animal and plant life, the Mammoth Cave site shows. You could spend an entire week exploring the area, with lodging, horseback riding, canoeing, and other diversions. But if you plan to breeze through on your Kentucky motorcycle trip, at least set aside enough time to take a tour of this iconic cave.

Cruise Cumberland Falls for a cool ride

Along Route 90, starting at Parkers Lake, motorcycle riders can enjoy the beautiful Kentucky backdrop leading to Cumberland Falls. Expect a 27-mile stretch of easy-to-ride roads, Inside Louisville reports, and plenty of amenities along the route to explore. But if you have time, especially in the early evening, you might even catch a glimpse of the moonbow over the falls. It’s a rare sight available only at certain times of the year.

Try the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and some of the finest spirits

Explore the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for a truly authentic bourbon-sipping experience. Plan your motorcycle ride to see 18 of the finest distilleries. You can get a Bourbon Trail passport, too, and get it stamped at each stop. According to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail site, a full-stamped passport unlocks special access at various distillery locations. But remember to ride responsibly.

There’s still ample time left this summer and fall to plan a motorcycle ride through Kentucky. Just don’t forget to add these stops to your itinerary. It’s a truly amazing nature experience found only in Kentucky — and enjoyed best from the seat of a motorcycle.

RELATED: 5 of the Best Motorcycle Rides in Northern California

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America Is Losing the Best Cheap Car We Have and You Can Blame Crossover Owners

by Gabrielle DeSantis

When it comes to VW and America, it feels like the car enthusiast gets screwed, like the Golf R Estate. However, this time the crossover crowd hurt themselves. The best cheap new car that Americans had is going away, and we have no one to blame but, well, everyone who kept buying sensible crossover SUVs like the Honda CR-V or Hyundai Santa Fe. Earlier this year, Volkswagen announced that the next Golf generation, the Mk8, would only come in the more expensive hot options for Americans. That means the plain Volkswagen Golf is banished from our shores. 

2021 Volkswagen Golf | Volkswagen of America, Inc.

The Volkswagen Golf isn’t the coolest car, but it’s the best cheap car we had

Let me be clear; the Volkswagen Golf is awesome. Obviously, the juiced-up Golf GTI and Golf R are far cooler cars. However,  the Golf was a super fun driver, and unlike the other zippy versions, it is pretty cheap. 

According to Gear Patrol, the Golf, much like the Mazda Miata, is a driver’s car that runs sub $25,000. Sure, it only makes 147 hp, but it still comes in with a great manual gearbox, tight handling, and great shape. The Volkswagen Golf is wildly fun to drive. These cars are what the “hot hatch” segment is all about; no crazy power, flashy paint jobs, or mile-wide tires but still able to make anyone prone to give a car the beans a massive smile. 

Why would VW take away the Golf? 

You didn’t buy one. This may sound like an unfair comment to make; however, so few people bought them that making claims like that is fairly safe. Volkswagen pulled the model cause no one bought them. For reference, the VW e-Golf nearly outsold the base Golf in 2019. 

Sales numbers being what they are, Americans have no one to blame for losing our best cheap car but ourselves. SUVs and crossovers have so completely dominated car sales that few automakers can justify making much else—shame on us. 

Is the Volkswagen Golf really a good car? 

2019 Volkswagen Golf R
2019 Volkswagen Golf R

The Volkswagen Golf isn’t as laser-focused as the GTI or Golf R. It isn’t the most luxurious hatchback either. However, it is a blast to drive and costs far less than most, far more boring, crossovers. 

The Volkswagen Golf has 53.7 cubic feet of cargo space. It’s not as big as the Honda CR-V, but it’s on par with popular crossovers like the Jeep Cherokee, Audi Q5, and Porsche Macan. Not to mention that due to its practical size, the little four-cylinder is super fuel-efficient. For an old-school internal combustion engine with no hybrid doodads, the Golf gets an average of 31 mph.  

If there is any hope for fun, cheap cars for Americans, we have to start buying them. The Golf highlights two problems for Americans in one car. We are not only losing small, fun, and cheap driver’s cars, but we are also losing manual transmissions left and right. We beat our chests and fuss, but if people don’t buy them, the OEMs won’t make them. It’s a simple concept. So, if we don’t want to lose more fun little rippers like the Volkswagen Golf, then we better start buying these cars. Let’s chill on the crossovers and start buying manual hatchbacks. 

RELATED: You Really Should Buy a Volkswagen Golf GTI

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Is the 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S a ‘Real’ Harley?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2021 Sportster S is a significant step for Harley-Davidson in more ways than one. It’s a noticeably different motorcycle than, not just the other Harley Sportster models, but many of the company’s other bikes, period. Some Harley-Davidson fans, therefore, might be worried that the Sportster S steps too much away from what they value about the brand. But the truth is that the new bike is just as much a Harley as the old ones are.

Stop calling the modern Harley Sportster a ‘girl bike’

1967 Harley-Davidson XLH Sportster side | Bob Greene/The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images/Getty Images

First, let’s set something straight. Despite its iconic status, the Harley Sportster is sometimes looked down upon by the brand faithful, Iron & Air says. And a question that’s often asked on the Internet is if it’s a ‘girl bike.’ That term should have long since been laid to rest.

To be sure, the Harley-Davidson Iron 883 and Iron 1200 Sportster have attributes that are helpful for shorter and lighter riders, including female ones. Being cruisers, they have low seats and foot controls close to the ground, which helps with balance and confidence. Their designs also make for low centers of gravity, making them easy to maneuver. But calling the Sportsters ‘girl bikes’ is inaccurate and sexist.

It’s also dismissive of the Harley-Davidson Sportster’s other strengths, RideApart explains. Used or new, the Sportster is one of the cheapest ways to buy into the brand. And it’s well-supported by the aftermarket, making it easy to turn the bike into whatever you want. From touring bikes all the way to desert-shredding scramblers, Sportsters are great bases for custom builds.

Why is all of this important to keep in mind? Because since its 1957 introduction, the Sportster has become a Harley-Davidson symbol. True, the company has other historically significant bikes, such as the Electra Glide. But the Sportster has a certain status of its own; Harley-Davidson reps have even called it “’a brand within a brand,” RevZilla reports. And that comes with positive and negative connotations, Cycle World explains.

On the one hand, its air-cooled rumble and “classic styling” represent “the soul of Harley-Davidson,” Cycle World muses. And in the ’50s and ’60s, it brought genuinely cutting-edge tech to American bikes. But to some, these same features hold the Sportster back in comparison to its rivals today, making it feel old and stagnant. And in terms of getting past emissions regulations, as the Street 750 and 500 demonstrated, the naysayers had a point. The keyword there, though, is ‘had.’

The 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S is “(nearly) everything its predecessor isn’t,” Cycle World says

A maroon 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S parked on the side of an Angeles Crest Highway hill
2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S side hill | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

As noted earlier, the 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S is significantly different from air-cooled Sportsters like the Forty-Eight. To quote Roadshow, “it’s not your typical Harley.”

Its Pan America-derived V-twin is liquid-cooled, not air-cooled, and is a stressed member of the frame. Plus, while it redlines at 9500 RPM, it doesn’t rumble or shake like the old ‘Evo’ engine. The 2021 Sportster S doesn’t just have standard ABS, but standard cornering ABS, as well as traction control, rear-wheel-slip control, Brembo brakes, and customizable riding modes. It also doesn’t handle quite like the Harley-Davidson Sportsters that came before it. And unlike Sportsters of the past, the 2021 Sportster S’s design “implies that the [non-Harley-Davidson] aftermarket…was not a priority,” Cycle World muses.

A maroon 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S on a city street
2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S | Harley-Davidson

Yet, the 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S isn’t fully divested from its heritage, either. Its exhaust design takes inspiration from the XR750, one of the most successful flat-track racers ever. The rear suspension’s somewhat limited travel allows for a low cruiser look and approachable seat height. And “there’s something characteristically Harley” about the six-speed transmission’s feel, Cycle World muses. Plus, while the 2021 Sportster S can bomb through canyon roads with surprising aplomb, it’s also a chill cruiser around town, RevZilla notes.

Does this make it a ‘real’ Harley motorcycle?

The side view of a gray 2017 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Night Rod Special on a city street
2017 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Night Rod Special side | Harley-Davidson

The 2021 Sportster S isn’t Harley-Davidson’s first attempt at changing its cruiser formula. From 2002-2018, riders could walk into a Harley dealer and buy a brand-new, high-revving, liquid-cooled bike: the V-Rod.

At the time, the sporty cruiser’s powertrain and design were deemed to be too different from what Harley offered. But today, those attributes are why used V-Rod prices remain relatively high. And while Harley-Davidson developed the V-Rod’s ‘Revolution’ engine with Porsche’s help, the bike was a true Harley product. It just tried to move the brand into a new direction.

“The Sportster as it has been cannot gradually evolve into a modern bike easily capable of meeting sound, emissions, and the many criticisms that attend its time-honored features.”

It’s a similar story with the Sportster S. No, it’s not the same Sportster that’s been around for decades. But that’s because it wouldn’t survive if it stayed the same. However, it hasn’t abandoned its past; it’s just not “beholden to it,” Roadshow says. Rest assured, the 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S is a ‘real’ Harley. It’s just that a ‘real’ Harley bike isn’t only one kind of bike anymore.

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RELATED: 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S: S Really Does Mean Sporty

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