‘Tessie Always Got My Back’: Woman Leaves Night Shift In Her Tesla. Then She Sleeps During The Solo Ride While It’s In FSD

A registered nurse says she uses Tesla’s autopilot to help catch up on sleep after working late.

TikTok user Vanessa Lim (@vanessalim) posted a recording of herself purportedly sleeping behind the wheel of her EV. A text overlay reads, “thank god for my self-driving Tesla cause how tf was I gunna drive home after that nightshift,” and as the video progresses, she remains slouched in her seat while buildings and cars can be seen passing by through the driver’s side window.

Was She Really Sleeping In Her Tesla?

Judging from the way her right arm is extended in her video, Lim appears to be recording herself. Neither of her hands are near the steering wheel, however, as her left arm is wrapped around her neck. And while at first glance it looks like her eyes are shut during her drive, upon closer inspection, her eyelids do indeed flutter several times in her TikTok, a detail highlighted by a commenter: “Do people not see you blinking?”

Numerous folks criticized Lim for her post. One commenter said Lim was setting a dangerous example with potentially fatal consequences: “Yeah lets not play with peoples lives,” they wrote.

Someone else advised Lim to not put so much faith in her EV’s self-driving technology. “Babe no this is illegal and dangerous. These self-driving cars are not to be fully trusted. Protect yourself. I worked nights too so I feel the struggle though.”

Lim replied, “Wait how is driving a Tesla on Full self-driving mode illegal?”

Another pointed out how commenters truly thought Lim was zonked out in the driver’s seat. “Lmao I think she thinks she actually fully asleep…while recording mind you,” they wrote. Lim replied by corroborating what other commenters wrote: “Dude my eyes are open in this video.”

Can You Sleep With Full Self-Driving (Supervised) Engaged?

As InsideEVs has previously reported, those who engage FSD and similar systems are expected to be able to take control of their vehicle at any moment. Other outlets have similarly warned against leaving your car’s commute entirely up to self-driving technology.

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Moreover, there have been debates about whether or not Full Self-Driving (Supervised) will even stay on if one’s Tesla detects that they’ve dozed off. Folks in this Tesla Motors Club forum post opined on FSD updates throughout the years that were purportedly designed to curb this behavior. However, there’s no shortage of footage online that suggests these failsafes aren’t exactly foolproof.

Tesla critics point to a May 2025 FSD update they believe makes the cars more dangerous. Namely, the automaker scaled back on its in-cabin eye tracking, a feature designed to determine whether or not those behind the steering wheel were keeping their eyes on the road.

However, some Tesla drivers complained about receiving alerts and notifications far too often and even in instances when they were fully focused on their surroundings.

(Un) Safe Driving?

While the brand officially states that drivers must be attentive when FSD is engaged, CEO Elon Musk also recently stated he believes Tesla owners will be able to text and drive safely in the near future. Futurism also wrote that sleepy drivers are being prompted by Tesla cars to switch over to Full Self-Driving mode if its software senses that they’re tired.

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These same claims and concerns were shared by X users as well. One even shared a purported screenshot of the pop-up dialog, which reads: “Pull down to activate FSD (Supervised). Lane drift detected. Let FSD assist so you can stay focused.”

InsideEVs has reached out to Lim and Tesla via email for further comment.

 

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