Chinese Tesla Drivers Bypass Driver Monitoring With Plastic Figurines
Chinese Tesla drivers are purchasing cheap plastic figurines and other visual tricks to defeat the vehicle's driver-monitoring system, allowing them to use Autopilot without maintaining attention on the road. The products are widely available on Chinese e-commerce platforms for $10 to $50, creating a market for safety workarounds following Tesla's stricter distraction monitoring software update.
What happened
Chinese Tesla drivers have discovered that miniature plastic figurines positioned near the camera above the windshield can trick the vehicle's cabin camera into believing an attentive driver is present, allowing Autopilot use without continuous driver attention.
The workarounds include plastic heads resembling celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson, static face images, lenticular prints that create the illusion of blinking, and pocket-sized screens playing video loops of attentive drivers. These products are sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms for $10 to $50.
Reported impact
One Tesla Model 3 owner reported being able to drive for extended periods without triggering attention warnings by using a figurine.
The phenomenon has created a market of counterfeit attention devices on Chinese ecommerce platforms, responding to Tesla's stricter distracted-driver monitoring activated through a software update.
Index analysis
Tesla's in-cabin camera system, designed to detect driver inattentiveness and trigger warnings or temporarily restrict Autopilot features, is being defeated by cheap plastic objects that the camera misidentifies as engaged drivers.
The scale and sophistication of workarounds available on Chinese platforms exceed similar attempts elsewhere, with dozens of variations marketed with user reviews rating effectiveness.
Governance controls
Tesla implemented stricter distraction monitoring through the vehicle's cabin camera in China, which warns drivers looking away from the road for extended periods, disables Autopilot, or restricts driver-assistance features.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.