The incident occurred two weeks ago in San Francisco, captured by a passenger who had previously used Tesla's robotaxi service several times without issue, feeling safer than with typical ride-sharing. However, during this recent trip, the safety driver dozed off at least three times, each instance prompting the vehicle's alert system to beep and rouse the driver.

Safety drivers are crucial for monitoring and intervening in a robotaxi's autonomous driving process. Depending on local regulations, these individuals may occupy either the driver's or front passenger seat.

The passenger reported the incident via the app to Tesla's support team, including details about the video, but received no response. He stated he delayed posting the footage publicly to allow Tesla a private opportunity to respond. However, after more than a week without a reply, and believing this was a serious concern for other riders, he shared it on Reddit. Another Reddit user later recounted a similar experience with the same driver during a trip from Temescal to San Francisco.

Tesla recently announced the operation of robotaxi services in Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area in California. There are significant differences between these regional services, primarily due to California's considerably stricter autonomous driving laws compared to Texas. California requires companies to demonstrate level 4 autonomous driving capability, a standard Tesla is not yet ready to meet, having not applied for the necessary permit. This means Tesla's Bay Area robotaxi service mandates safety drivers in the driver's seat, who are responsible at all times, similar to any other level 2 advanced driver-assistance system.

In Austin, regulatory allowances permit Tesla to position safety drivers in the front passenger seat instead of the driver's seat. These drivers must keep a finger on the emergency stop button, ready to halt the vehicle instantly. Since Tesla's robotaxi trials began in Austin in July, there have been at least 7 accidents, a rate about two times higher than its competitor, Waymo.

The robotaxi sector is becoming more competitive, with Zoox, Amazon's autonomous vehicle unit, recently announcing the launch of free robotaxi services for early users in certain areas of San Francisco, adding to the rivalry with Tesla and Waymo.

Source: Electrek