A recent incident involving a Tesla Robotaxi has led to once again questioning the Tesla Autopilot ride service. The incident took place in San Francisco with one of the Tesla Robotaxi when one passenger videotaped a Tesla safety driver falling asleep multiple times on an active ride with an active ride, and this case raised extensive doubts about the validity of the system and the safety measures that should have ensured the safety of the general population.
The video was uploaded by a user who had previously had a positive experience with the Tesla Robotaxi service, but this time the ride took a terrifying turn. The passenger also claimed that the safety driver fell asleep on at least three occasions, and each time the alert system in the vehicle (pay attention) was turned on and started beeping loudly, which was enough to wake him.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Model Varies by Market
Tesla is actively operating in two major markets for its Robotaxi service: Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area in California. The rules and restrictions of operation in each of the two regions vary greatly, though.
The state of California mandates autonomous vehicle drivers to apply for permits proving their capability to operate a Level 4 autonomous system, which Tesla has not yet reached nor even ever applied for. Consequently, the driverless rides of a state should involve a safety driver in the driver’s cabin, who will fully control the car operation, just as the Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature.
On the contrary, Texas regulators permit Tesla to have the safety driver at the passenger seat. The operator is still required to have physical contact with a kill switch so that he can step in when need be. Already, reports have pointed out a high rate of crashes in Austin because of this more lax setup.
My Tesla Robotaxi “safety” driver fell asleep
byu/ohmichael insanfrancisco
A Failure of Driver Monitoring?
In the viral video, Tesla’s familiar Full Self-Driving driver monitoring system appears to activate, issuing audible warnings intended to rouse inattentive drivers. Although the system was effective in alerting the drowsy safety driver, the series casts serious doubts on the preventative nature of the system. Preferably, the anti-drowsiness functions must come into play before the head of the driver sags or the eyes are shut long enough.
The fatigue of the driver was not unseen to the passenger: his head was dropping right before his eyes as he fell asleep, and it was evident that he failed to monitor the rules and procedures that required him to remain alert at all times.
This is especially alarming when it comes to an autonomous system of the Level 2 type, in which the human driver is legally and operationally liable at any given moment. In case the assigned safety driver is incapacitated, even temporarily, the car might not respond in the proper manner in the instances of unforeseen events.
Tesla’s Lack of Response Raises Additional Questions
The passenger reported the incident via the Tesla Robotaxi support system and said he would send the footage to check the situation. And he had not received a reply more than a week afterward.
The silence led the rider to release the video in public, saying that he had not done it immediately to allow Tesla time to attend to the issue quietly. The viral nature of the video on Reddit attracted additional commentary, including one of the users who reported that he had a very similar experience with the same driver, perhaps.
No public statement regarding the incident has been made by Tesla, which is why users and observers are worried about the level of seriousness with which the company considers the safety violations concerning its growing Robotaxi network.
