Transportation Secretary Buttigieg warns Tesla owners not to drive while wearing Vision Pro

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned Tesla owners not to drive their cars while wearing one of Apple's Vision Pro headsets in a tweet he posted earlier this week. What made this common-sense warning necessary was a viral video that 25 million people viewed showing a Tesla driver wearing the headset and using his hands to scroll whatever content he was viewing on the Vision Pro.

The driver had no hands on the steering wheel at times, and at other times he had one hand on the wheel even though Tesla vehicles do require that the driver place both hands on the steering wheel. On X, Secretary Buttigieg wrote, "Reminder—ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times." It should be pointed out that the Tesla Cybertruck does not have a driver assistance system.

Think different. #applevisionpropic.twitter.com/dEALUsntS8

— Dante (@lentinidante) February 2, 2024

The person wearing the Vision Pro behind the wheel of the Tesla came forward. His name is Dante Lentini and he works at software development startup firm Hyper as a product manager. He claims that the whole video was a skit he made with friends. Lentini told Gizmodo that he drove with the headset on for only 30 to 40 seconds. "[I] was in the right place at the right time," he said. "That’s why we filmed the police." 

The video showed what appeared to be police pulling over Lentini's car, but as he later admitted, the police pulling up behind his car with their lights on had nothing to do with him and he was not arrested. Let's just point out here that even if the video was a "skit" and he only had the headset on for 30 to 40 seconds, the Cybertruck is not autonomous and it takes less than 30 to 40 seconds for a serious accident to take place.

In Apple's support page titled "Important safety information for the Vision Pro," the tech giant tells users, "Always remain aware of your environment and body posture during use. Apple Vision Pro is designed for use in controlled areas that are safe, on a level surface. Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety." Sounds reasonable to us!