House Democrat urges US action over sleeping Tesla drivers

Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois has urged the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to take decisive regulatory action regarding the misuse of Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems. In a letter directed to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos showing drivers seemingly asleep or entirely disengaged while operating moving Tesla vehicles, including 17 recorded this year alone. The lawmaker pressed the auto safety regulator to evaluate whether Tesla maintains adequate safeguards against driver misuse, specifically questioning the efficacy of cabin cameras and driver-monitoring systems when obstructed by sunglasses, hats, or poor visibility. This congressional scrutiny intensifies ongoing regulatory pressure on Tesla's autonomous driving technology. NHTSA had already expanded investigations into 3.2 million Tesla vehicles over poor-visibility performance concerns and launched a separate probe covering 2.9 million vehicles following reports of traffic-safety violations and crashes. Increased regulatory intervention poses potential headline risk and software modification requirements for the electric vehicle manufacturer.