An elderly Tesla Cybertruck driver was caught on camera sleeping behind the wheel as his vehicle drove down a California highway. Footage sent to KRON and posted on social media showed the unidentified man dozing off while his EV appeared to be in self-driving mode. The incident reportedly occurred along Highway 101 in Marin County around 4pm on Saturday.
Self-Driving Mode Regulations
Cybertrucks come equipped with Tesla’s 'Full Self-Driving' system, which autonomously handles steering, lane changes, parking, and navigating city streets and highways. However, self-driving mode requires users 'to pay attention to the road and be ready to take over at all times,' according to the Cybertruck owner's manual. The manual states: 'Remain attentive, be mindful of road conditions and surrounding traffic, pay attention to pedestrians and cyclists, and always be prepared to take immediate action.'
Previous Incidents
Incidents of people sleeping while driving their Tesla vehicles have become more common as self-driving technology has become more ubiquitous. On March 8, an elderly man and a female passenger were recorded sleeping in a Tesla as it drove down another California highway. The bystander who captured the footage and sent it to KRON said the ordeal occurred on Highway 4 in the Bay Area city of Pittsburg. Days earlier, a female Tesla driver was seen sleeping behind the wheel on the 10 Freeway in Colton, near San Bernardino, on March 1. Footage obtained by ABC 7 showed a busy freeway on a sunny day with the driver, who appeared to be alone, in a white Tesla. Like in this most recent incident, someone recorded this as it unfolded and called the police immediately. Officers from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) were dispatched to the area but were unable to find the driver.
Legal Consequences
Sleeping behind the wheel of a self-driving car is illegal in California, and CHP told the local news station it violates the 'basic speed law.' CHP stated: 'Regardless of any special features a vehicle may possess, such as autopilot or fully autonomous capabilities, drivers are still responsible for the vehicle they are operating. If a driver is asleep behind the wheel, they are in violation of California's basic speed law. It is unsafe to operate/drive a vehicle at any speed while asleep behind the wheel.' The Daily Mail has contacted Tesla for comment.
Viral Videos
A video that went viral late last year caught another person sleeping in the driver's seat of a red Tesla. The footage, posted on Reddit, showed the driver cruising down the freeway at around 2pm on August 22. In the clip, the sleeping driver also appeared to have a neck pillow behind her head. Others have been more brazen. In May 2021, Param Sharma was arrested in Oakland, California, for sitting in the back seat of his Tesla Model 3 while it was driving. California Highway Patrol was alerted to Sharma's stunts after someone posted a video of him doing the same thing. The then-25-year-old showed no remorse and said in an interview that he actually believed it was safer for him to be in the back seat.
