BOSTON – Video that surfaced on Twitter appears to show the driver behind a Tesla fast asleep as the car speeds along the Massachusetts Turnpike Sunday.
“It was just so strange and baffling” said Dakota Randall, who shot the video, in an interview with WBZ-TV. “I thought I saw somebody asleep at the wheel, but I wasn’t sure so I did a double-take. Sure enough there was somebody with his head right between his legs.”
Both the driver and his female passenger appear to be sleeping as the Tesla cruises along in self-driving mode.
Randall told WBTS he did a “double take,” and said, “It seemed like he had his cruise control on around like 55-60 miles per hour.” Randall said he honked the horn but wasn’t able to wake the snoozing driver.
Tesla says the full autopilot mode relies on information from eight cameras, radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors in newer cars. The information allows the car’s computer to handle steering, cruise control, lane changes and parking, among other things.
“Autopilot is intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time,” according to Tesla’s website.
Massachusetts State Police told WBZ that there’s no law that would make falling asleep at the wheel of a self-driving car illegal.
