Tesla driver 'arrested' for driving with Apple Vision Pro says it was just a 'parody'

Update 10:17 a.m. EST: When Gizmodo contacted Dante Lentini, he confirmed that the video was a “sketch” he made with friends and that he had not been arrested.

He claims he drove with headphones on for only 30 to 40 seconds while driving a Tesla.

“[Yo] “I was in the right place at the right time,” he added. “That's why we filmed the police.” In other words, he filmed police officers performing unrelated tasks to make people think he was arrested.

Lentini has deleted several tweets discussing the incident since this article was published.

A video of a Tesla owner reviewing the new car Apple Vision Pro headphones While using a car's assisted driving features, which are to allow the car to drive itself and allegedly get caught, is going viral on social media and highlighting a potential new danger on the road.

Released on Friday the same day The Vision Pro has gone on sale In the United States, the 25-second video shows Dante Lentini, 21, posting the video on his personal page. The tenth accountAnd typing and scrolling with $3,500 headphones. During part of the video, Lentini's hands were not on the wheel, a requirement of the three Tesla Assisted Driving Features: Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. (Despite the name, Tesla's assisted driving features do not make its cars fully self-driving.)

The video continues to show Lentini in a parked car with police at his side. In a comment to X, Lentini confirms that the person in the video is him and that he has been arrested. As of Monday morning, Lentini's video had more than 24 million views on X, the platform owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Gizmodo reached out to Lentini and Tesla on Monday morning for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. Tesla Dissolution of the public relations department It's 2020, so we're not holding our breath for an answer.

Some users on social media accused Lentini, who said on LinkedIn that… Production Manager At software development startup Hyper, to display video for clicks and views, though it's not immediately clear whether it has done so. In response to comments denouncing the stupidity of driving with headphones, Lentini He replied“Oh my bad, I had a meeting.”

apple Users are specifically warned Against the use of Vision Pro while driving in its user manual. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

“Always be aware of your surroundings and body position during use. “Apple Vision Pro is designed for use in controlled, safe areas, on a flat surface,” the company notes. “Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, or machinery heavy or in any other situation that requires attention to safety.”

Tesla's driver-assistance features, especially Autopilot, have drawn federal scrutiny of the automaker in recent years. In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a Official investigation In the company concerned with accidents involving Tesla's driver-assistance features, accidents that left more than a dozen people dead.

Last July, the security regulator Ask Tesla for more information A software update allows drivers to use Autopilot for extended periods of time without putting their hands on the wheel.

“The resulting dilution of controls designed to ensure the driver remains engaged in the dynamic driving task could result in increased driver inattention and failure to adequately monitor the autopilot,” said the regulator's lead attorney, John Donaldson. He said in a message in time.