Turns out Elon Musk isn't the only person asleep at the wheel.
Yet again, a Tesla driver has been caught on video apparently sleeping while the car drives itself, and this time for a full 15 minutes - as initially reported by KTLA5. The word "apparently" is essential here as Tesla's software requires hands to be on the wheel while the car is moving. Meaning that either the driver was kicking back with their eyes closed but making sure the car knew they were there, or they figured out a way to beat the system and were out for the count.
Either way, it's unsafe and illegal and it happened on the 15 Freeway near Temecula, in Southern California.
The Tesla Model 3, with no driver paying attention to driving, was spotted by a couple on their way back from Las Vegas. The way the driver was slouched down had them concerned there was a medical emergency, or they had inadvertently dozed off. They followed the car, beeping their horn to try and get the non-driver's attention for around fifteen minutes, but to no avail. Finally, they called 911 to report the situation.
"It is illegal, and motorists have to realize that they have to be awake, conscious, and sober so they can take control of the vehicle," explained Officer Mike Lassig of CHP Temecula. However, law enforcement failed to catch up with the non-driver.
This incident draws attention, yet again, to the issue of that Tesla calling its system "Full Self Driving." It's a misleading name as Tesla still states on its website that the cars cannot fully drive themselves, which is not enough. People see Full Self Driving as a feature and make the logical assumption after tech companies, automakers, and the mass media has been telling everyone that we'll be riding in self-driving cars any minute now for years.
On top of that, Tesla and its leader have a cult-like following of people that believe the Full Self Driving technology is ready, and it's just the pesky government that won't allow it to be used as intended. That's simply not the case.
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