Editor’s note: CHP originally told KTLA that an officer caught up to the driver. They now tell us that did not occur.
A motorist captured video Thursday afternoon of what appeared to be a Tesla driver asleep behind the wheel while in traffic on a Southern California freeway.
It came as a shock to Kiki Dolas and her partner who spotted the driver around 4 p.m. on the 15 Freeway near Temecula.
The couple was driving home to Las Vegas when they spotted the driver just as traffic was starting to pick up. That’s when Dolas quickly grabbed her phone and began recording.
“My partner was getting ready to change lanes and he was like, ‘I think she’s sleeping,’ and I said ‘Who?’ And I looked over immediately,” recalled Dolas. “As soon as I said that, the car actually sped off ahead of us. I just said, ‘Please hurry, please hurry.’”
Dolas said they caught up to Tesla and tried catching the driver’s attention without success.
After following the car for 15 minutes while honking, she eventually called 911 to report the incident.
“She had her sunglasses on. She was slouched down,” said Dolas. “We started honking to try to get her attention because maybe she’s having a health emergency or something. I really wasn’t sure. So we couldn’t get her attention, the traffic is getting thicker and thicker so I said, ‘You know what? Let me call 911.’”
This recent incident isn’t the first time something similar was caught on camera. In 2019, a driver who appeared to be fast asleep was spotted on the 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita.
“It is illegal and motorists have to realize that they have to be awake, conscious and sober so they can take control of the vehicle,” explained Officer Mike Lassig of CHP Temecula.
Tesla is currently facing multiple investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for issues with its autopilot and self-driving features.
Despite the functions’ names, Tesla still states on its website that the cars cannot fully drive themselves.
Teslas utilizing “Full Self-Driving” can navigate roads in many cases, but experts say the system can make mistakes, which even CEO Elon Musk acknowledges.
“We’re not saying it’s quite ready to have no one behind the wheel,” Musk said in October.
According to a regulatory filing, the Department of Justice recently requested documents from Tesla related to its two driver-assist features.
“I do have five children,” said Dolas. “I am a grandma and I believe in safe driving and I know that even with autopilot, that’s just to enhance driving, not to take a whole nap on the freeway during rush hour. Absolutely not.”
Neither Tesla nor the Department of Justice has responded to requests for comments from KTLA.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
