In the bustling streets of San Francisco, a recent Tesla Robotaxi ride turned into a viral cautionary tale when a passenger captured video of their ‘safety driver’ repeatedly dozing off behind the wheel. The incident, posted on Reddit and widely covered by media outlets, has reignited debates over the reliability of Tesla’s autonomous driving technology and the role of human monitors in its rollout.

According to the Reddit user, who shared the footage under the thread ‘My Tesla Robotaxi “safety” driver fell asleep,’ the driver nodded off at least three times during the trip. Alarms sounded in the vehicle, but the driver appeared unresponsive at points, prompting the passenger to intervene verbally. The rider reported the issue to Tesla but claimed no response was received, as detailed in coverage by Ars Technica.

A Viral Wake-Up Call

This isn’t an isolated event; similar reports have surfaced since Tesla launched its Robotaxi service in select cities. In Austin, Texas, early tests revealed multiple driving errors, including traffic violations, as reported by Reuters. The San Francisco incident, however, stands out for its direct evidence of human oversight failure, with the video showing the driver’s head slumping forward amid city traffic.

Critics like Dan O’Dowd, founder of The Dawn Project and a vocal Tesla skeptic, seized on the footage. In a post on X, O’Dowd questioned, ‘Does this driver’s demeanor reflect the ‘constant attention to the road’ and ‘immediate intervention’ Tesla promises?’ His commentary highlights broader safety concerns, echoing sentiments from posts found on X where users express alarm over relying on fatigued humans to backstop AI-driven vehicles.

The Human Element in Autonomy

Tesla’s Robotaxi program, which began invite-only operations in Texas this summer, mandates safety drivers to monitor and intervene if needed. Yet, as Futurism reported, passengers are increasingly questioning this setup after incidents like the San Francisco nap. One rider told Futurism, ‘I do not trust those,’ referring to the vehicle’s alarms that failed to fully rouse the driver.

Industry insiders point to fatigue as a persistent issue in autonomous vehicle testing. A report from Electrek notes that long shifts and monotonous monitoring roles contribute to such lapses. Tesla has not publicly addressed this specific incident, but company statements emphasize that safety drivers are trained professionals, a claim now under scrutiny.

Broader Safety Scrutiny

Zooming out, Tesla’s autonomous ambitions have faced ongoing criticism. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has investigated over 50 fatalities linked to Tesla’s Autopilot system, as highlighted in an article by MySanAntonio. In Texas, Robotaxi tests led to confusion and near-misses, with NBC News reporting on public concerns about erratic driving behaviors.

Comparisons to competitors like Waymo and Cruise reveal stark differences. Waymo, operating driverless in some areas, boasts a stronger safety record with fewer human interventions required. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has touted unsupervised full self-driving as imminent, stating in a 2024 earnings call, ‘We’ll move from supervised self driving to unsupervised full self driving and you will be able to go to sleep in the car and wake up at your destination,’ as quoted in posts on X.

Regulatory and Ethical Implications

Regulators are taking note. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has strict rules for autonomous testing, requiring alert human operators. The San Francisco Chronicle, in its coverage at SF Chronicle, noted that this incident ‘reigniting debate over the company’s self-driving technology.’ Experts warn that such lapses could delay approvals for fully driverless operations.

Ethically, the reliance on safety drivers raises questions about labor conditions. Reports from Drive Tesla indicate multiple passengers have encountered dozing monitors, suggesting systemic issues in driver vetting or scheduling. One X post from Tesla Newswire humorously noted, ‘Tesla support will wake up if you fall asleep in Robotaxi – not the safety driver,’ underscoring the irony.

Technological Promises vs. Realities

Tesla’s vision for Robotaxi includes the Cybercab, with production slated for April 2026, as per Electric Vehicles. Yet, past incidents, like a 2022 case where German police found a Tesla driver asleep with a defeat device, as reported by Teslarati on X, show vulnerabilities in even supervised systems.

Advocates argue that autonomy could reduce human error, which causes 94% of accidents per NHTSA data. However, critics like those in The Nerd Stash emphasize that transitioning phases, with hybrid human-AI control, pose unique risks.

Industry-Wide Lessons

As Tesla pushes forward, competitors are watching closely. Cruise faced setbacks after a 2023 pedestrian incident, leading to a nationwide pause. Tesla’s incidents could invite similar scrutiny, potentially affecting stock performance and investor confidence.

Looking ahead, innovations like advanced fatigue detection systems might mitigate these issues. Posts on X, such as one from Mario Nawfal describing a ‘wake-up call’ feature for passengers, hint at Tesla’s adaptive tech. Still, the San Francisco snooze serves as a stark reminder that the path to full autonomy is fraught with human frailties.

Voices from the Field

Industry analysts, including those cited in Road & Track, suggest Tesla may need to enhance driver monitoring tech, perhaps integrating eye-tracking or biometric alerts. A Teslarati article at Teslarati ironically noted that the incident ‘almost proving the need for autonomous vehicles.’

Passengers and experts alike call for transparency. The Reddit poster urged, ‘I have used the service a few times before and it has always been great,’ but this experience shook their trust. As autonomous tech evolves, balancing innovation with safety remains paramount for Tesla and the industry.