Driver filmed asleep at wheel of self-driving Tesla on B.C. highway
A woman was spotted apparently asleep while her Tesla drove itself on a busy stretch of Highway 1 between Golden and Revelstoke on Sunday afternoon, with two children in the vehicle.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
A startling video captured a woman apparently asleep at the wheel of a self-driving Tesla on a busy stretch of Highway 1 between Golden and Revelstoke on Sunday afternoon, with two children in the vehicle.
Carleigh King was traveling with her family from Alberta to B.C. when one of her sons felt carsick. After pulling over for fresh air, King took the back passenger seat while her son took the front and she began reading. That's when she noticed another car nearby.
"I did a double, triple, quadruple take. I didn't understand what I was seeing, and I said to my husband, 'I think that lady is asleep'," King said. She confirmed the driver was "definitely asleep at the wheel" and immediately called 911.
"The Trans Canada is an incredibly busy stretch of highway with construction zones all over and unpredictable drivers, too," King said. "To see somebody fast asleep at the wheel with children in the car was absolutely mind-blowing."
Corporal Michael McLaughlin with B.C. Highway Patrol said drivers caught asleep behind the wheel could face penalties including a drive without consideration charge ($196) and a drive without due care and attention charge (just under $400). Both carry penalty points on the driver's licence.
"In British Columbia, you're allowed up to level two intervention — things like adaptive cruise control and lane assist," McLaughlin said. "You cannot do a full self-driving mode. You have to be awake, alert, in control, with a hand on the wheel and feet near or on the pedals at all times."
