Ottawa woman charged after sleeping in self-driving car on highway

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have charged an Ottawa woman after she was found sleeping behind the wheel of a self-driving Tesla on the highway.

On Instagram, the official OPP East account said an officer spotted the woman in the driver’s seat of a Tesla with her eyes closed and hands off the wheel while going down Highway 417 during morning rush hour on Tuesday.

 

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Under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, owners of autonomous vehicles must “remain at all times in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and shall monitor the vehicle’s operation,” which includes always having your hands on the wheel. The OPP notes that the woman received a Careless Driving charge, which carries a penalty of $490 and six demerit points upon conviction.

Notably, OPP told CityNews this was one of two incidents of people in self-driving cars not being attentive behind the wheel. The other incident also took place on a highway on Tuesday evening. We’ve also heard of similar examples of irresponsible autonomous vehicle owners in provinces like B.C.