Tesla self-driving car caught speeding on Alberta highway with driver asleep inside
Posted September 17, 2020 8:35 am.
Last Updated September 18, 2020 5:52 am.
PONOKA (660 NEWS) – A Tesla driver has been charged with excessive speeding on a highway north of Calgary.
In July, RCMP in the town of Ponoka, AB said a Tesla Model S was apparently self-driving, travelling at speeds over 140km/h.
Police allege the two occupants of the car were completely reclined in their seats and asleep while the car was driving.
When officers tried to pursue the vehicle, it began to accelerate to 150 km/h.
The future is now?
Yup, RCMP charge one person in a case of SLEEPING AND DRIVING a Tesla along hwy 2 near Ponoka. #yeg #yyc pic.twitter.com/D9J5TAHXvg
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) September 17, 2020
“Although manufacturers of new vehicles have built-in safeguards to prevent drivers from taking advantage of the new safety systems in vehicles, those systems are just that, supplemental safety systems,” said Supt. Gary Graham in a news release. “They are not self-driving systems, they still come with the responsibility of driving.”
The Tesla was eventually pulled over and police charged the driver, a 20-year-old man from B.C., with speeding and dangerous driving.
He also had his license suspended for 24 hours and is due in court in December.
