Home / Disasters and Accidents / Tesla Driver Naps on Freeway, Car on Autopilot
Tesla Driver Naps on Freeway, Car on Autopilot
12 Mar
Summary
- An elderly man was filmed sleeping while driving his Tesla on a California freeway.
- An elderly woman was also asleep in the passenger seat during the incident.
- The car was reportedly using Autopilot or Full Self-Driving mode on Highway 4.
An alarming incident occurred on Highway 4 in Pittsburg, California, where an elderly man was recorded sleeping while his Tesla drove itself. Adding to the concern, an elderly woman was also found asleep in the passenger seat. The footage, shared with KRON 4, showed the Tesla Model 3 on what appeared to be Autopilot or Full Self-Driving mode.
Tesla's Autopilot is designed for highway use, providing lane centering and adaptive cruise control. Full Self-Driving is an optional upgrade for city navigation. However, Tesla mandates that drivers remain fully attentive and prepared to intervene at all times when using either feature.
This event is not isolated. In late August 2025, a similar video went viral showing a driver asleep in a red Tesla on a freeway. Another incident in March 2026 involved a female Tesla driver sleeping on the 10 Freeway near San Bernardino, prompting a police response that was unable to locate the vehicle. In a more extreme case in May 2021, a man was arrested in Oakland for sitting in the backseat of his Tesla while it was in motion.
