Recent incidents highlight ongoing safety challenges as Tesla advances its autonomous ride-hailing services. While the company pushes forward with limited robotaxi deployments in Austin and San Francisco, questions about safety protocols remain. A passenger in San Francisco recently shared a disturbing video showing a Tesla safety driver dozing off during a ride, raising concerns about passenger security and driver monitoring.

The Reddit user reported that the safety driver fell asleep three times during the journey, which occurred just over a week ago. The 12-second clip captures the driver awakening briefly before nodding off again, illustrating potential risks associated with human oversight in semi-autonomous vehicles.

Experts emphasize that driver attentiveness remains crucial for safety, especially as Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems still require active supervision. According to transportation safety analyst Dr. Lisa Carter, “Even with advanced automation, human vigilance is vital to prevent accidents and ensure passenger safety.”

Tesla has yet to respond publicly to the incident, prompting questions about the effectiveness of current safety protocols and driver training. As the technology evolves, maintaining strict oversight will be essential to avoid future lapses that could compromise passenger trust and safety.

David Nield

Dave is a freelance tech journalist with over 20 years covering gadgets, apps, and the web. From Stockport, England, he covers news, features, and reviews for TechRadar, focusing on phones, tablets, and wearables. He ensures top weekend breaking news and has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci, and others. He edited PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook for years. Read me on x.com or linkedin.