Canadian police have charged a man with speeding and dangerous driving after he was found asleep at the wheel of self-driving car while traveling at 150 kilometers per hour on a highway in the province of Alberta.
Announcing the charges on Thursday, Canada's police said that on July 9 they received a notification that a Tesla Model S vehicle accelerated carelessly on the highway near the town of Ponoka.
«The car appeared to be driving itself, traveling at a speed that reached 150 km., with the two front seats having been placed in a horizontal position and both passengers sleeping», the police reported in her statement.
After the police approached the vehicle and turned off the lights, the Tesla electric vehicle appears to have accelerated to exactly 150 km, according to the police. The speed limit on most of Canada's national road network is 110 km.
The driver, a 20-year-old man from neighboring British Columbia, was charged with speeding beyond the speed limit and was punished with a 24-hour suspension of his license while he was driving exhausted.
The state also decided to charge the driver with dangerous driving and he is expected to appear in court in December.
The proliferation of autonomous vehicles, with the pioneering electric car company Tesla, has created a challenge for legislators who are trying to determine the safety and effectiveness of autonomous vehicle systems.
In January, an Ontario driver was charged with reckless driving after officers spotted him using both hands to floss his mouth as vehicle sped along the highway at 135 km/h.
Two months earlier, a Tesla vehicle was spotted driving on the wrong side of the road without a driver.
In the U.S., officials are investigating a number of fatal accidents involving the “autopilot” feature, including a case in which a Tesla driver was using the feature to play games on phone .
“While new vehicle manufacturers are adding safety to prevent drivers from taking advantage of technology , these systems are exactly what they claim to be, which is to say, safety features,” said Inspector General of the Royal Canadian Mounted, Gary Graham. “They are not self-driving systems. Those who own these vehicles are responsible for operating them properly.”
