by Videos Show Tesla Drivers Falling Asleep at the Wheel
A series of high-profile accidents has already shown what can result from a driver falling asleep at the wheel of a Tesla and other modern cars. However, many owners seem to continue to over-trust driver assistance systems. As these technologies become more sophisticated, the line between driver assistance and true autonomy in the eyes of consumers begins to blur, which can contribute to negligent attitudes.
Series of Incidents Involving Falling Asleep
Just in the last few weeks, footage of at least three separate incidents where Tesla drivers were sleeping at the wheel has spread online. The first video appeared on Reddit and likely captures the moment a woman behind the wheel of a Model X is dozing while the electric vehicle continues to move along a busy highway in the USA.
It remains unclear whether the full FSD (Supervised) self-driving system was activated in this case or just the regular Autopilot was turned on. Modern versions of FSD are designed to prevent such situations through active monitoring of the driver’s state. If the system determines that the driver is unresponsive, it can initiate a procedure to stop the car.
However, older versions of FSD did not have this feature. Some early iterations of Autopilot could also be tricked by placing a weight on the steering wheel to make the car “believe” the driver’s hands were on it.
Model 3 and Model Y Owners Have Also Been Spotted Sleeping
This week, another video published by KRON4 captured how both the driver and a passenger in a Tesla Model 3 appeared to be asleep while the car was moving along Highway 4 in the eastern part of California’s Bay Area. As in the previous case, it is impossible to say for sure whether FSD or Autopilot was active, although the car’s systems did not seem to realize that no one in the cabin was ready to take control.
ABC7 also recently published footage showing a Tesla Model Y apparently being driven by a sleeping driver. The video, shot in Colton, California, shows the driver sleeping at the wheel wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.
The Problem of Real-World Customer Testing
As Tesla continues to refine its driver assistance systems, similar incidents are likely to recur. This happens because the company relies on customers as testers of evolving systems in real-world conditions, instead of completing their full development before releasing them to the market.
These cases are a reminder of the ongoing public debate regarding the ethics and safety of such an approach to implementing new technologies. On one hand, the real-world environment provides invaluable data; on the other, it creates potential risks not only for car owners but for all road users. Progress in the field of autonomous driving is incredible, but these videos clearly indicate that technical improvements must keep pace with the understanding and responsibility of the drivers themselves, who for now remain the key link in this chain.
