Driver arrested for sleeping while letting a Tesla car drive autonomously

A person in the driver's seat of a Tesla vehicle, traveling on a highway in California, USA, has been arrested by the police after falling asleep. It is reported that at the time, the vehicle was operating with Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology activated, traveling at a speed of 60 miles per hour (approximately 97 kilometers per hour).

According to foreign media reports, this incident occurred on a highway in Solano County, California. The driver, wearing black sunglasses, was observed slumped in the driver's seat and asleep by a California Highway Patrol (CHP) motorcycle officer on patrol on that road. The officer immediately approached the vehicle, confirmed the driver's condition, and then instructed him to stop the car. A citation was issued to him for dangerously speeding and violating traffic laws.

Video footage related to this incident has been released by the California Highway Patrol on social media, with the caption: "What is the safest speed a driver can travel when asleep? Zero miles per hour."

Further clarifying, the police stated that systems like Tesla's FSD are not fully autonomous driving systems, but merely Level 2 driver-assistance systems. Legally, this means that the full responsibility for driving the vehicle does not rest with the system; it only assists the driver. Therefore, even when using autonomous technology, the full legal responsibility for the vehicle while it is in motion lies with the driver, and falling asleep while driving is a violation of California traffic safety laws.

Drivers must always remain attentive to the road while the vehicle is in motion and be ready to take control of the steering wheel at any moment. Authorities emphasize, "If you need a nap, do it in a safely parked vehicle, not in the driver's seat." Meanwhile, Tesla also does not define the FSD system as a fully autonomous system and advises drivers to always remain attentive while using the technology.