An elderly man was fast asleep at the wheel of his Tesla as it barreled down a California freeway, shocking video footage showed.
Worse yet, there was an elderly female in the passenger seat who had also nodded off during the journey, per the clip obtained by KRON 4.
The bystander who had captured the footage and sent it to the news station said the ordeal took place on Highway 4 in the Bay Area city of Pittsburg on Sunday afternoon.
The sedan, a Tesla Model 3, appeared to be on autopilot or ‘Full Self-Driving’ mode, two features this model is equipped with.
Tesla Autopilot is meant to be used on the highway. Once engaged, the feature provides lane centering and cruise control that adjusts with traffic. Crucially, this does not mean the car is fully autonomous.
Full Self-Driving is an upgrade Tesla owners have to pay for and is for city driving, which requires turns, stopping at traffic lights and navigation.
Per Tesla guidelines, both modes should only be used if the driver is fully paying attention and can take over the wheel at any time.
Incidents of people sleeping while riding in their Tesla vehicles have become more common as self-driving has become more ubiquitous.
Pictured: An elderly man and woman are seen in the front two seats of their Tesla Model 3 barreling down Highway 4 in the Bay Area city of Pittsburg on Sunday afternoon
Video of the incident was sent to KRON 4. Instances of people sleeping in their Tesla vehicles as they let them drive have become more common
On the afternoon of March 1, a female Tesla driver was seen sleeping behind the wheel while on the 10 Freeway in Colton, which is near San Bernardino.
Like in this most recent incident, someone recorded this as it unfolded. That person called police immediately.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol were dispatched to the area, but were unable to find the driver.
A video that went viral late last year caught another person sleeping in the driver’s seat of a red Tesla.
The footage, which was posted on Reddit, saw the driver cruising down the freeway at around 2pm on August 22. In the clip, the sleeping driver also appeared to have a neck pillow behind her head.
Others have been more brazen. In May 2021, Param Sharma was arrested in Oakland, California, for sitting in the backseat of his Tesla Model 3 while it drove.
California Highway Patrol were alerted to Sharma’s stunts after someone posted a video of him doing the same thing.
The then-25-year-old showed no remorse and said in an interview that he actually thought it was safer for him to be in the backseat.
