Driver Caught Without License Claims Car Was on Autopilot

A young man caught driving without a license near Chisinau, Moldova, offered a bizarre explanation to police: he claimed he wasn't driving, but that the car was operating on autopilot. The man was stopped at a traffic checkpoint and, when asked to produce his documents, police discovered he did not possess a driver's license.

According to TV8, the man initially denied being at the wheel, stating he had emerged from the back seat. When pressed further by officers about who was driving if he was in the passenger seat, he presented his unusual "autopilot" defense. The Mercedes he was driving did not belong to him but to a friend. The vehicle was towed to a special parking lot and awaits retrieval by its owner, who may also face penalties for allowing an unlicensed individual to drive.

This incident occurred during a significant traffic control operation on the R-6 highway. Five police units and a traffic monitoring team were involved, checking driver's licenses, vehicle documents, technical conditions, and violation histories. In just two hours, officers issued over 80 tickets for various infractions.

Among those cited was a driver with 14 recent violations, including using a phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt, leading to a one-month license suspension. Police also identified a car with a modified exhaust system, resulting in the confiscation of its license plates. Even a road maintenance vehicle was stopped due to an obscured rear license plate.

Authorities announced that these controls will continue throughout August and September, periods when traffic typically increases due to the return of Moldovans from abroad.