Tesla’s Autopilot does not allow drivers to fall asleep while driving. Arrested a few months ago in the middle of a nap on the highway, a young Canadian will soon be tried by the courts for dangerous driving. This is a first in Canada.
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On Friday, September 18, 2020, Leran Cai, a young Canadian aged 20, was arrested by police forces in Alberta (Canada). After activating the Autopilot, the young man had indeed decided to take a nap at the wheel of his electric car. To make himself comfortable, Leran Cai even reclined the seats of the vehicle. The police quickly received several testimonies from motorists worried about his behavior.
Worse, the vehicle was launched at 150 km / h on the highway, that is, 50 km / h above the maximum authorized speed on a highway in Canada. Quickly arrested by a police car, the man was brought before the courts for dangerous driving and speeding, reports our colleagues from Global News, a Canadian media. “These technologies help drivers, but do not replace them” commented the police. After a first preliminary hearing, Leran Cai will be tried on January 29, 2021.
On the same topic: Tesla offers 3 months of Fully Autonomous Driving if you buy a car before 2021
A first for the courts
Without much surprise, it is the first time a case of this ilk has come to Canadian courts. “This will be one of the first times that the autonomous driving characteristics of cars will be considered by the courts. This will lead, I think, to very important decisions by the court on the obligations of the driver in autonomous driving mode which could affect future legislation ” explains Kyla Lee, lawyer interviewed by Global News.
On the other hand, this is not the first time that a reckless driver has over-trusted the Tesla Autopilot. In Connecticut (USA), a Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot crashed into a police car last year. A few months earlier in California, a drunk driver even collapsed while driving his Tesla Model S. Yet Tesla recommends that drivers keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. “The autopilot is intended for use by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time ” explains the American firm in a press release on its official website. Autopilot therefore does not allow you to take a nap during a trip.
Source: Global News
