Often in the past we have seen Tesla's in vehicle car logs and GPS data lead to a stolen car being found, paint a more accurate portrait of an accident, or even assess whether or not the company's Autopilot was active during a crash.

But this time, as KHOU 11 demonstrates in the above news report, the vehicle's stored data shows an extended 5-6 mile, high performance joyride by the valet service employed at Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse in downtown Houston.

Perhaps this should serve as a friendly reminder to Tesla Model S (and X) owners, to turn on that "Valet Mode" that was added to your software suite over a year ago with Firmware update 6.2.

Valet mode limits the car's output to that of a Toyota Prius, caps the top speed at 70 mph - while enabling the owner to track the location of the car at all times.

"Valet Mode conveniently and discreetly limits Model S’s driving performance and restricts access to certain settings and personal information. With the touch of a button, owners can place a limit on speed, lock the glove box and frunk, and disable personal information like driver profiles and homelink settings."

Video (below): YouTuber Jorgen Winther-Larsen gives a "Valet Mode" walkthrough

KHOU11, hat tip to GeorgeK!