Viral Video Raises Questions About Tesla’s Full Self-Driving
A video that has been circulating online allegedly shows a Tesla driver sound asleep behind the wheel while the vehicle travels at approximately 100 km/h on a two-lane road in Canada. The video, which quickly went viral on social media, shows the car operating with Full Self-Driving (FSD) engaged while the driver appears completely oblivious.
Expert Clarification: FSD Is Not Autonomous
In response to the video, German publication Electrive clarified: ‘One thing is clear: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD), despite its name, is not an autonomous driving system. Even in regions where FSD (Supervised) is now approved (such as the Netherlands, Lithuania, or Estonia), it remains a driver-assistance system classified as SAE Level 2. Responsibility therefore always lies with the person behind the wheel. They must monitor traffic and be prepared to intervene at any time. Why the Tesla continued driving in this incident cannot be determined from the video.’
Electrive added that it remains unclear whether the driver monitoring system failed, was bypassed, or the footage only captured a brief moment. The incident underscores the limitations of today’s assistance systems and the importance of distinguishing between driver assistance and true autonomous driving.
Driver Monitoring Concerns
Many viewers have asked why the Tesla did not detect the driver was asleep. Tesla’s system is designed to require open eye contact and attention. The video itself shows the touchscreen blank, which is unusual for a car operating in FSD mode—normally the screen displays the navigation visualization. This has led some to question the authenticity of the video.
Parsing the Public Reaction
The video has accumulated over 100 comments, revealing a wide range of opinions:
- ‘Unreal — kids in the car, too.’
- ‘Wondering why the driver in the filming car wasn’t blowing their horn to wake up that woman?’
- ‘Instead of honking and helping this woman wake up, they take a video and post it all over the internet.’
- ‘FSD worked like a champ. I’ve fallen asleep behind the wheel of a “regular” car, lucky to be alive. I wish FSD would of been around when that happened.’
- ‘I suspect this is fake, for all the reasons that others have cited. In particular, the screen appears to be off. Normally, it would be showing the full self driving navigation image.’
CleanTechnica does not claim the video is real, noting that with AI anything is possible, but it appeared on a legitimate news source (Electrive). The publication invites readers to share their thoughts.
Update: Fatal Tesla Crash and Manslaughter Charge
Two weeks prior, a Tesla driven by Michael Butler crashed, killing a woman in her living room. Last week, the driver was charged with manslaughter. However, responsibility may not be clear-cut: pressing the accelerator while FSD is engaged is a fairly common practice, complicating liability. A detailed analysis of that incident is available elsewhere.