> The company’s cars only check that attention with a sensor that measures torque in the steering wheel, though, leaving room for misuse

So they could have held the steering wheel from the passanger seat.

> Tesla CEO Elon Musk has rejected calls from Tesla engineers to add better safety monitoring when a vehicle is in Autopilot, such as eye-tracking cameras or additional sensors on the steering wheel, saying the tech is “ineffective.”

In my country there was recently an event where a Tesla on Autopilot crashed out with the driver fast asleep behind the wheel. I'd say regulation to make it mandatory to install fool proof safety tech ensuring the driver is actively observing the traffic is needed, and fast. And this tech is trivial compared to even semi-autonomous driving, no matter what Musk is claiming.

We don’t have the diagnostic information that indicates AP was engaged. So, which is more likely: driver error and no seatbelt, or driver sitting in the passenger seat? I contend the latter is extremely unlikely, since there would be basically no benefit to doing this given the requirements of AP currently.

It’s possible the driver was pulling a stunt. In which case, the deaths are attributable to deliberate misuse, no different than “ghost riding the whip”