- Lawmaker calls for investigation into safety and misuse of Tesla's Autopilot system.
- Videos show drivers appearing to sleep while the vehicle is in motion, raising concerns.
- NHTSA has identified deficiencies in Tesla's driver engagement safety measures.
- Full Self-Driving system requires continuous human supervision but may encourage use by fatigued drivers.
US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) is calling for an investigation into the safety and misuse of Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. Krishnamoorthi expressed concern over dozens of videos showing Tesla drivers appearing to sleep or otherwise not paying attention while the vehicle is in motion. He has urged the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to take immediate action to address the misuse of Tesla's Autopilot. Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems require active driver supervision.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos showing drivers appearing to sleep while in a moving Tesla, with 17 of those videos posted this year alone. Tesla's official documentation states that Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems require active driver supervision and are not fully autonomous systems. In his letter, he wrote: "The recent NBC News investigation found 43 videos showing drivers appearing to sleep while in a moving Tesla, with 17 of those videos posted this year alone."
Concerns over Autopilot safety
These incidents are particularly concerning because the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems require active driver supervision and are not fully autonomous. As these technologies become more prevalent on US roads, the Department of Transportation and NHTSA must ensure that manufacturers have adequate safety measures in place to prevent foreseeable misuse, and drivers should not be encouraged to overly rely on these systems that still require full attention.
Krishnamoorthi pointed out that NHTSA has previously identified deficiencies in Tesla's driver engagement safety measures. In an engineering analysis of Autopilot, the agency concluded that Tesla's system failed to adequately ensure drivers remain attentive and use the technology correctly, noting a mismatch between the vehicle's substantive control and the safety measures to keep drivers engaged. In his letter, he wrote: "Reminding an attentive driver to use driver assistance features when momentarily drifting out of their lane is one thing, but encouraging a driver detected as fatigued to 'remain attentive to use Full Self-Driving' raises fundamentally different safety issues."
The Full Self-Driving system requires continuous human supervision, but the messaging appears to encourage use of the system in situations where the driver may find it more difficult to provide such supervision.
NHTSA's investigation and analysis
These concerns come as NHTSA is conducting an engineering analysis involving approximately 3.2 million Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving. The agency is examining whether the system's degradation detection can identify reduced road visibility and provide drivers with adequate warning and reaction time. The investigation has identified nine incidents, including one fatality and one injury incident. Krishnamoorthi also expressed concern over messages that Tesla has recently started displaying to drivers, which appeared with the 2025.32.3 software update, including "Detected fatigue, please remain attentive to use Full Self-Driving" and "Detected lane departure, let Full Self-Driving assist to stay attentive."
Given that Full Self-Driving requires continuous human supervision, Krishnamoorthi questioned whether encouraging use of the system by drivers detected as fatigued would pose additional safety risks, according to the congressman's press release.
Congressional focus on autonomous vehicle safety
As autonomous vehicle technology becomes more widespread, concerns about its safety are increasing. The lawmaker's call for an investigation reflects a growing emphasis on the responsibility of drivers to supervise these systems. NHTSA's investigation indicates that Tesla's system has deficiencies in driver engagement safety measures, which could lead to drivers over-relying on autonomous features. In such cases, driver attention may be compromised, further increasing the risk of traffic accidents. Therefore, ensuring the safety of the technology and responsible driver behavior is crucial for future development.