A video captured a driver appearing to be asleep at the wheel of a self-driving car while speeding on a busy highway in Sydney, Australia. The footage shows the man slouched in the driver’s seat with his eyes closed. Another driver honked and shouted at him to wake up, prompting the drowsy Tesla driver to suddenly awaken and gesture apologetically. The self-driving Tesla continued on its path without any interruption at around 100 kilometers per hour, equivalent to 62mph.
Tesla introduced its Full Self-Driving software for eligible Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in 2025, but it is not a fully autonomous system. In Australia, the human driver remains legally responsible for the vehicle’s operation. In contrast, the UK anticipates the arrival of fully autonomous vehicles by the latter half of 2027, following a delay in the approval process.
The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act, enacted in May 2024, aimed to advance the UK’s self-driving car ambitions by establishing a legal structure where the vehicle manufacturer, rather than the human occupant, carries liability when the vehicle operates in self-driving mode. However, safety concerns, highlighted by incidents involving robotaxis in other countries, prompted the UK government to prioritize a safety-focused approach before introducing fully driverless cars.
The complexity of regulations poses another hurdle, as additional legislation is required to define operational standards, insurance prerequisites, and accident liabilities for the legal deployment of fully autonomous vehicles.
Despite technological readiness claimed by companies like Uber and UK-based Wayve to launch driverless taxi services immediately, they await regulatory approvals to commence operations. Public trust in driverless technology remains a critical factor, with a 2024 YouGov poll indicating that a significant percentage of Britons feel unsafe in driverless cars, underscoring the importance of building confidence in autonomous vehicles.