In an account posted by the California Highway Patrol, a Solano County CHP motor officer spotted a Tesla driver slumped over behind the wheel as the car traveled at 60 mph, apparently using Full Self-Driving. The officer pulled the car over, and the driver was cited for unsafe speed.
The California Highway Patrol detailed the encounter in a Facebook post published Wednesday night, framing the incident with a pointed warning: “FSD Means “Full Self-Driving”—Not “Full Snooze Drive.” 😴🚘,” according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver had reportedly been traveling home from work when the officer noticed something was off.
Officer Spotted Driver Slumped Over at Highway Speed
Per the same account, the motor officer observed the Tesla moving along the highway with its driver appearing to be asleep, prompting the traffic stop. Once stopped, the driver was cited for unsafe speed and, per the post, was educated on the dangers and law concerning using Full Self-Driving while asleep.
What Full Self-Driving Actually Requires of Drivers
The CHP’s warning centers on a distinction between driver assistance and autonomous driving: the feature’s name does not remove the person behind the wheel from responsibility for monitoring the vehicle.
Supervision, Not Autonomy
The California Department of Motor Vehicles says Tesla changed the name to “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” to make clear that the system requires driver supervision. The label reflects the distinction between a driver-assistance feature and an autonomous vehicle, according to the California DMV. In a separate incident, the National Transportation Safety Board found that driver inattention and overreliance on Autopilot contributed to a January 22, 2018, Tesla crash into a stationary fire truck in Culver City. That finding concerned a crash involving Autopilot, not the Solano stop or reported use of Full Self-Driving, according to the NTSB.
Drivers using a supervised feature are expected to monitor the road and be prepared to take over. The Solano stop is a reminder that a system’s name does not change the driver’s role.
