Tesla video shows elderly man asleep

A video that circulated this week appears to show a Tesla Cybertruck driver asleep behind the wheel while the vehicle traveled on Highway 101 in Marin County, California. Bay Area station KRON4 published the clip on May 19 and said it was sent in by a viewer who recorded the truck around 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. KRON4 reported that the man appeared to be dozing while the Cybertruck was in a self-driving mode. Reuters could not independently verify from the clip alone whether the driver was asleep for an extended period or which Tesla driver-assistance feature, if any, was engaged. ### Where and when was the video recorded? KRON4 reported that the incident took place on Highway 101 in Marin County at about 4 p.m. on May 16. The station said the footage showed a Cybertruck driver “asleep behind the wheel” over the weekend and identified the vehicle as a Tesla. The Daily Mail and other outlets later amplified the clip, but the earliest detailed local report surfaced through KRON4’s May 19 story. (kron4.com) That matters because the local station attributed the video to a named source on the scene, Taylor Bisacky, while later reports largely repeated KRON4’s account. ### Did the truck appear to be driving itself? (kron4.com) KRON4 said the Cybertruck “appears to be in self-driving mode.” The station did not identify whether the system was Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised), and the video description available publicly does not establish that on its own. Tesla says its driver-assistance software remains supervised. (kron4.com) In Tesla’s official documentation for Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the company says the feature requires the driver to “pay attention to the road and be ready to take over at all times.” Tesla’s Cybertruck owner’s manual is available through the company’s website. ### What do Tesla’s rules say drivers must do? Tesla’s published guidance says a driver using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) must remain attentive, monitor road conditions and surrounding traffic, and be prepared to act immediately. Tesla does not describe the system as allowing a driver to sleep or disengage from the driving task. (tesla.com) NHTSA has also described Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) as an SAE Level 2 partial automation system that requires “a fully attentive driver who is engaged in the driving task at all times,” according to an Office of Defects Investigation document. ### What do California authorities say about sleeping behind the wheel? California Highway Patrol told KRON4 that a sleeping driver is still responsible for the vehicle, regardless of “special features” such as autopilot or autonomous capabilities. (tesla.com) KRON4 quoted CHP as saying that if a driver is asleep behind the wheel, that person is violating California’s “basic speed law.” (static.nhtsa.gov) CHP’s statement, as carried by KRON4, added that “it is unsafe to operate/drive a vehicle at any speed while asleep behind the wheel.” The available reports do not say that officers stopped this specific Cybertruck driver or issued a citation in connection with the May 16 incident. ### Is this an isolated clip or part of a pattern? (kron4.com) KRON4 said videos of Tesla drivers apparently asleep on Bay Area roads have surfaced before, including a separate Highway 4 case the station reported earlier in 2026. ABC7 Los Angeles also reported in March that a Tesla driver appeared to be asleep on the 10 Freeway in Colton, and said California Highway Patrol officers were unable to locate that driver after a witness called police. (kron4.com) As of May 21, Tesla had not publicly responded in the sourced reports tied to the Marin County video. The clearest next public record would be any statement from Tesla, CHP, or Marin-area law enforcement identifying the driver or confirming whether enforcement action followed the May 16 Highway 101 incident. (kron4.com)