According to Consumer Reports, Tesla's camera-based driving monitoring system doesn't work to keep a driver's attention on the road. Meanwhile, the publication says Ford's system "issues an alert when the driver's eyes are diverted."
Tesla hasn't relied on a camera-based driver monitoring system in the past. Instead, Tesla Autopilot has relied on steering wheel torque to determine whether a driver's hand was on the wheel. Consumer Reports, among other publications and organizations, urged Tesla to implement adequate driver monitoring, since the automaker's semi-autonomous driving systems can prove unsafe if a driver isn't engaged and ready to take control at a moment's notice.
Interestingly, when Tesla first added the driver monitoring technology, Consumer Reports voiced privacy concerns over the system. This is because Tesla's system has the ability to transport information back to the company. However, as far as we understand, owners have to agree to activate the camera and allow it to record and submit footage their personal footage to Tesla.
