House Democrat urges US action over sleeping Tesla drivers

A Democratic lawmaker on Thursday called on a U.S. auto safety agency to take action to address misuse of Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, citing dozens of videos that appear to show drivers asleep or disengaged from driving.

In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News report that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 this year.

Krishnamoorthi said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "must ensure that manufacturers have adequate safeguards to prevent foreseeable misuse and that drivers are not encouraged to place dangerous levels of reliance on systems that still require their full attention."