A passenger in a Tesla driving for Uber captured footage appearing to show the driver asleep at the wheel on three major California freeways early on July 6. The passenger recorded the incident as the vehicle traveled through Orange County.
Cellphone video from the ride shows the driver's head drooping forward and backward while the Tesla was allegedly operating in Full Self-Driving mode, according to the passenger who shared the footage with KTLA. The passenger stated the trip began in Yorba Linda and was headed to Santa Ana, starting shortly after 3:30 a.m.
The Tesla navigated the 91 Freeway before merging onto the 57 and 5 freeways during the journey. The footage appears to show the driver's eyes closed at times, with his head bobbing as the car continued on the road. The passenger is heard in the video asking, "You good, man?" but the driver does not appear to respond.
Following the incident, the passenger contacted Uber to report concerns about safety. According to KTLA, the company apologized but denied the trip was eligible for a refund.
This event is one of several recent reports involving drivers allegedly asleep or drowsy while using Tesla's driver-assistance technology. In another instance, a rideshare passenger in Orange County also recorded an Uber driver who appeared to be asleep during a trip. Additionally, witnesses have previously captured footage of drivers seemingly napping behind the wheel of Teslas on the 5 Freeway near Camp Pendleton.
In a separate case in April, a woman in Florida was found asleep in her Tesla on a highway. Police attributed the vehicle's safety system, which is designed to disengage autopilot if the driver's eyes are closed for too long, for stopping the potentially dangerous journey. Tesla's own guidelines state that drivers using Full Self-Driving must remain attentive and ready to take control of the vehicle at any moment.