Although the autopilot system integrated with Tesla makes driving much easier, it is neither legal nor safe to sleep while driving, even if you are in autopilot mode. A similar incident has been witnessed recently when a Canadian man was seen sleeping in his Tesla Model S while he was on the Queen Elizabeth Highway in Ontario, Canada. Meanwhile, a person traveling in another car on the same route took a 20-second video of the “sleeping beauty”, which is now doing the rounds on the internet. Have a look at this disturbing video embedded below:
It might seem a bit bizarre to fully rely on your Tesla autopilot system because, previously, we have witnessed some incidents where the system can be dodged. So, it’s better to keep your eyes open while driving for the sake of not only your own safety but the people around you as well. However, the woman who captured the video, said, “He opened his eyes for a split second because of the sun, then didn’t open them again the entire time we were watching.”
She further reported that the driver in question didn’t open his eyes for the next 10 to 15 minutes while driving on the highway, but as soon as the car entered in the premises of the city, the driver unintentionally woke up and took control of the car. At that moment, the woman took a sigh of relief. On the other hand, after seeing the video circulating on the internet, local police said that they are unable to take legal action against this act because no official complaint has been registered against the person.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Kerry Schmidt, “Seeing it on the video is concerning. The circumstances surrounding it are unverified. I don’t know if this is something that someone came across or if it’s a publicity stunt. Obviously, this is someone asleep at the wheel; apparently, not paying attention to what is happening in front of them is very concerning.” Thus, it is certainly the responsibility of Tesla drivers to drive with their full concentration and avoid sleeping because we cannot trust fully on these automated systems.
In the end, safety is the most important thing that matters and it cannot be compromised either way.