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US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has warned that human drivers must pay attention at all times, after videos emerged of people driving Teslas while wearing what appeared to be Apple's recently released Vision Pro headset.
Mr Buttigieg responded on social media platform X to a video that had more than 24 million views of a Tesla driver who appeared to be gesturing with his hands to use the headset in virtual reality while behind the wheel.
"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," Mr Buttigieg said.
Another social media user whose video went viral after they were supposedly arrested by police for using the Vision Pro while driving later told Gizmodo that it was just a "skit".
Mr Buttigieg has made similar comments previously about the use of Tesla's assisted-driving Autopilot software. Tesla says its advanced driver features are intended for use with a fully attentive driver "who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment."
Apple's Vision Pro was released last week in the US at a cost of $US3,500 ($5,400) and can be used to blend three-dimensional digital content with a view of the outside world in augmented reality (AR), or as fully immersed virtual reality (VR) in which the outside world isn't visible.
Apple, which says people should never use it while operating a moving vehicle, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tesla did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In its safety guidelines for the Vision Pro, Apple says users should "never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety".
Tesla has been under scrutiny for its autonomous driving aid that is intended to enable cars to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within their lane.
In December, Tesla was pressured into recalling more than 2 million vehicles to update software and fix a defective system that's supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when using Autopilot.
The recall came after a two-year investigation by America's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes that happened while Autopilot was in use. Some of them were deadly.
Wires/ABC