A driver was caught apparently fast asleep at the wheel of his Tesla as it drove itself down a freeway in Southern California on Tuesday. Seth Blake, who was driving from Anaheim to Los Angeles spotted the man from his own car. “We were going about 75 mph (approximately 121 kph) on the highway, and he was just totally out,” Blake told WPTV. He asked his fiancee to take a video, which he shared on Twitter.
“He did have his hand positioned into the steering wheel while he was asleep, so I think that it wouldn’t fall off and that’s what made it possible for him to keep driving while he was asleep,” Blake said. “He was applying pressure even though he wasn’t awake.”
Although Tesla did not comment on the video, the company has said that the autopilot mode is intended for use by “a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time.” But incidents like the one above and those involving drunk drivers in the past, have raised the question of whether adequate steps have been taken to ensure there is no misuse of the technology.
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