The owner of a Tesla Model 3 has been filmed asleep behind the wheel while on the 405 Freeway in Southern California.
NBC Los Angeles reports that earlier this week, motorist Shawn Miladinovich noticed a white Tesla Model 3 driving alongside him. After taking a closer look, he realized that the driver was slumped over in their seat and appeared to be sleeping.
Miladinovich first saw the sleeping driver in the community of Westminster and contacted California Highway Patrol. He then drove alongside the man for approximately 30 miles and says the Tesla owner was asleep the entire time. He appeared to have something tied around the steering wheel so the car’s Autopilot system wouldn’t disengage and be fooled into thinking his hands were still on the wheel.
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“If his little thing tied around that steering wheel fell off, and he was still sleeping, he would have slammed into somebody going 65 miles per hour,” Miladinovich said.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the man could be cited for his carelessness if they are able to identify and find him.
This isn’t the first time concerns have been raised about Tesla drivers sleeping while behind the wheel. In November last year, California Highway Patrol officers pulled over a man suspected of driving under the influence after he was spotted dosing off while behind the wheel of a Tesla at about 70 mph (112 km/h) in Highway 101 in Redwood City. A Tesla worker also appeared to be sleeping while behind the wheel in a video captured back in June last year.