Tesla Fans Share Video Of Driver Sleeping In Self-Steering Mercedes

After a deadly car crash involving a Tesla Model S in Texas, many media outlets reported that the car had no driver at the time of the crash, and suggested Tesla Inc's TSLA Autopilot software could be to blame.

Shortly after, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that Autopilot was not engaged at the time of the accident. The incident was also referenced in the company's first-quarter earnings call, saying no seat belts were in use at the time, which would make it impossible to turn on Autopilot or Cruise Control.

The incident is still under investigation by the NHTSA.

Shortly after the news came out, Consumer Reports released a test showing they were able to trick a Tesla Model Y into driving itself with no one in the driver's seat. While the car was tricked after purposefully defeating multiple safeguards, it did end up successfully driving with no one in the driver's seat.

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“The car drove up and down the half-mile lane of our track, repeatedly, never noting that no one was in the driver’s seat, never noting that there was no one touching the steering wheel, never noting there was no weight on the seat...," stated the report.

Consumer Reports added, "...safety advocates and researchers at CR say that it does show that driver monitoring systems need to work harder to keep drivers from using the systems in foreseeably dangerous ways."

Consumer Reports suggested vehicles need eye-tracking systems and noted the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety makes the same recommendation.

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Now Tesla fans are circulating a video on Twitter showing a person supposedly sleeping at the wheel of their Mercedes vehicle while it drives through a tunnel. The passenger of the car takes a video of the sleeping driver, while then panning to show the road ahead. While the road is clear, this is obviously not the intended use of the system and puts the driver and passenger in imminent danger.

Another example of Tesla Autopilot creating a dangerous situation😤 Does @ConsumerReports know about this?! /s pic.twitter.com/wvYAcuuyUI

— Alexander🚗🔋� Horner (@alexhorner2002) April 28, 2021

A blinking warning can be seen on the screen of the car that looks like a steering wheel with hands on it. The car is trying and failing to get the attention of the sleeping driver.

Kelly Funkhouser, Consumer Report’s program manager for vehicle interface testing, mentioned in the report that other vehicle safety systems could be abused in the same way if the tech wasn't up to snuff.

Many Tesla fans on Twitter seem to suggest Consumer Reports is only concerned about Tesla's Autopilot program, and not putting the same weight on other manufacturer's systems.

(Photo courtesy of Tesla)