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Provincial police in Ottawa say they stopped and charged a sleeping driver who had the self-driving mode activated in her vehicle on Highway 417 during morning rush hour Tuesday.
The Tesla driver faces a careless driving charge, according to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
“Even though your vehicle has an autonomous driving feature, drivers are still required to pay due care and attention when behind the wheel,” OPP wrote on social media on Wednesday.
Const. Michael Fathi told CBC News an officer was able to see that the woman in the driver’s seat had her eyes closed and her hands weren’t on the steering wheel.
The officer didn’t use sirens to wake the driver and pull them over, Fathi said. Rather, they had pulled very close to get evidence on a body camera and it’s possible that triggered an alert in the driver’s Tesla.
A first for Ottawa OPP
Fathi said he believes it’s the first time the Ottawa OPP detachment has charged a motorist with sleeping in a self-driving vehicle.
Several other drivers have been caught dozing behind the wheel in B.C. recently, with police there warning the “potential for serious injury or death is too high” and pointing out the law requires people to be alert and focused on the road.
“The law still clearly states that a driver has to be in in due care and control of a motor vehicle even if it’s in self-driving mode,” Fathi said Wednesday.
Drivers have to be able to take control of a car with a self-driving feature if there’s a malfunction or other emergency, he explained.
That means not sleeping and not being impaired.
“The same driving laws apply to you when using driver assistance technologies. Even if your vehicle is equipped with driver assistance technology, always keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel,” according to Ontario Ministry of Transportation guidelines.
“You are responsible for any traffic incidents or collisions, not the advanced driver assistance systems features.”