Idiots have always had a great capacity to find new ways to abuse Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta. Their latest innovation is using the new Apple Vision Pro headset.
Both Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD Beta systems are some of the most misunderstood products in the world, and that’s partly Tesla’s fault.
When you decide to sell a product called “Full Self-Driving” before you can actually deliver it, you are certainly not playing it safe.
Under their current forms, those products are still “level 2” driver-assist systems that require the driver’s hands on the steering wheel and attention at all times.
Over the years, many drivers have decided to ignore those requirements and abuse the system by doing things like sleeping at the wheel or putting a dog in the driver’s seat.
Tesla has been improving its driver monitoring features to try to avoid that, but that’s an area where the automaker has been lacking compared to the competition and some idiots are taking advantage of it.
Now, with the launch of the Apple Vision Pro, a new $3,500 AR/VR headset, those idiots are finding a new way to abuse Tesla’s driver-assist systems.
Videos of Tesla drivers using the Apple Vision Pro are emerging online:
Cybertruck doesn’t even have Autopilot yet, so it’s unclear who the driver is steering here, but there are plenty of other examples.
Another Tesla driver even showed themselves illegally using the device on Autopilot and getting pulled over by the police:
In case it wasn’t obvious, Apple clearly states not to use the device while driving. The Vision Pro has an impressive “passthrough” capacity that renders your environment in real-time and therefore, it would technically be possible to driver using the headset, but it’s a terrible idea.
First off, it enables users to put virtual screens in front of them. Therefore, it is similarly, or even potentially more, distracting than using a handheld device.
Secondly, it’s a new technology, and it could fail in the middle of driving. If that happens, you can’t see until you remove the device, which would be really dangerous.
In short, using Vision Pro while driving on Autopilot is dangerous; it goes against driving laws and it goes against both Tesla’s and Apple’s recommendations.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.