Tesla driver spotted 'asleep at wheel' on Massachusetts highway

Boston resident Dakota Randall was driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike at around 3 pm on Sunday, September 8, when he noticed both the driver and the front-seat passenger of a Tesla next to him appeared to be asleep.

“Some guy literally asleep at the wheel,” Randall wrote on Twitter, where he posted this footage.  The clip shows the driver of the Tesla with his head bowed and motionless, seemingly asleep. Another person is seen sleeping in the passenger seat.

Speaking to WHDH, Randall said he drove alongside the car for nearly a minute and beeped the horn, but the driver didn’t wake up.

WHDH said police were aware of the matter, but that no complaint had been filed.

Tesla says its Autopilot system is intended “for use only with a fully attentive driver who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time.” The company says it intends the system to become “more capable over time”. However, “in its current form, it is not a self-driving system,” it says.