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The B.C. Highway Patrol (BCHP) is drawing attention to the hazards of people asleep at the wheel after two snoozing drivers in self-driving Teslas were caught on video as they travelled along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Lower Mainland.
“Police will not debate the merits of self-driving technology with sleeping drivers. It’s illegal in B.C., and we’re here to enforce the law and keep roads safe,” said BCHP Sgt. Michael McLaughlin.
The BCHP says an officer passed a sleeping driver in a dark-coloured Tesla on Aug. 27 as it sped down the Trans-Canada Highway through Langley.
McLaughlin said the officer had to prioritize the Tesla driver over the call he was supposed to attend after observing the man had his eyes closed and wasn’t holding the steering wheel.
The man was fined $368 for driving without due care and attention and $81 for failing to produce a driver’s licence.
“The potential for serious injury or death is too high. If you’re sleeping, you’re forcing us to pull you over, and that means we’re going to leave you with financial consequences,” McLaughlin said.
Police say a different Tesla driver was handed a similar $368 fine after she was caught on video asleep at the wheel on the Trans-Canada in North Vancouver on Aug. 11.
The video was taken by a passenger in another car and shared with police.
The B.C. Highway Patrol said it was able to identify the driver as a Maple Ridge resident and registered owner of the Tesla.
In July, video appearing to show a sleeping Tesla driver on the busy Trans-Canada Highway near Revelstoke went viral.
Fred Lambert, editor-in-chief at Electrek.co, said Tesla’s driver monitoring system, which is supposed to ensure a driver doesn’t fall asleep, can easily be bypassed.
Lambert says as self-driving technology evolves, some drivers are becoming complacent.
“We’re entering a weird time right now when it comes to these advanced driver-assist systems,” he said.
“I’ve seen people posting video of themselves playing video games in the driver’s seat, I’ve seen people watching movies. People don’t realize this is extremely dangerous and also purely illegal.”
B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act prohibits the use of highly automated self-driving vehicles on public roads, although lesser automated features like lane change assist or automatic braking are allowed.
The Ministry of Transportation website says highly automated self-driving vehicles are a new and emerging technology that require further testing and policy development.
