On the 9th (local time), Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic congressman representing Illinois, appealed to the government to launch an investigation into the concerning practice of Tesla drivers deliberately sleeping while their vehicles are in motion. In a letter addressed to the Secretary of Transportation, Krishnamoorthi voiced his apprehensions about the excessive reliance some drivers place on assisted driving software. He strongly urged both the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to swiftly initiate an inquiry into the potential misuse of Tesla's systems, such as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD). This includes assessing the effectiveness of the driver attention monitoring system and determining whether the software harbors safety flaws that necessitate a recall.

Furthermore, Krishnamoorthi requested that the NHTSA furnish data pertaining to Tesla accidents involving drowsy drivers and the utilization of assisted driving software. It's worth noting that prior to this, some drivers had asserted their ability to circumvent the in-car camera monitoring by donning glasses. The NHTSA had previously conducted an investigation into the system and, in 2024, uncovered foreseeable issues related to driver misuse. This misuse was implicated in at least 467 collision accidents and resulted in 14 fatalities. The agency concluded that the system fostered an overreliance among drivers, leading them to trust it beyond its actual capabilities and thereby creating a substantial safety loophole.

In response, Tesla has submitted a defect report and orchestrated an over-the-air (OTA) update. According to Tesla's terms of service, drivers are mandated to continuously supervise the vehicle when assisted driving features are activated. Moreover, intentionally sleeping while driving is a violation of the law.