Video shows possible sleeping Cybertruck driver

ABC7 San Francisco posted video on May 22 showing a man who appeared to be asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck traveling on Highway 101 in Marin County, California. The station said the vehicle appeared to be operating in self-driving mode while the driver reclined in his seat, and said local law enforcement reviewed the footage on May 22. ABC7’s California news page listed the report under the headline that the driver “appears to be asleep” in Marin County. (tesla.com) Tesla’s own support pages say its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capability are driver-assistance features, not autonomous driving systems. (abc7news.com) The company says those features are intended for use with “a fully attentive driver,” with hands on the wheel and ready to take over at any moment. Tesla’s Cybertruck owner documentation also says Autopilot features require driver attentiveness and that the driver must monitor the road and surroundings. ### What exactly did the video show? (abc7news.com) ABC7 said the footage showed a Tesla Cybertruck moving along Highway 101 while the apparent driver had his eyes closed and his seat reclined. The station reported that the truck appeared to be in self-driving mode during the incident in Marin County. Marin County and Highway 101 place the incident on one of the Bay Area’s busiest commuter corridors. ABC7 did not identify the driver in the material surfaced on its site listing, but it said law enforcement had reviewed the video by May 22. (tesla.com) ### What does Tesla say drivers must do when these systems are on? Tesla says on its support site that Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capability “do not make the vehicle autonomous.” The company says the features require active driver supervision and are meant to be used only by a driver who remains attentive and prepared to intervene. (abc7news.com) The Cybertruck owner’s manual is more specific. Tesla says Autopilot features require the driver’s hands to remain on the steering wheel at all times while the system is engaged and says the driver must monitor other road users and the road environment. (abc7news.com) ### Does California law require a human driver to stay in control? California Vehicle Code section 38750 defines an autonomous vehicle as one capable of driving without the active physical control or monitoring of a human operator, but it excludes common driver-assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping features. (tesla.com) That distinction matters because Tesla describes its systems as supervised driver assistance, not autonomous operation. (tesla.com) The same California statute says a driver testing an autonomous vehicle on public roads must be seated in the driver’s seat, monitoring safe operation, and capable of taking over immediate manual control in an emergency. The statute excerpt available online addresses testing rules, but it underscores California’s requirement for a human operator to remain able to intervene. ### Who reviewed the footage, and what happens next? ABC7 reported that local law enforcement reviewed the footage on May 22. (california.public.law) The station’s California page continued to carry the item on May 23, alongside other regional transportation and public-safety stories. Tesla’s public materials do not identify this incident, and no public enforcement outcome was available in the sources reviewed. As of May 23, the most concrete next step remained any action by local law enforcement following its review of the video ABC7 posted on May 22. (california.public.law) (abc7news.com 1) (abc7news.com 2)