Publishing date:Sep 18, 2020 •
A 20-year-old British Columbia man faces several charges after Alberta Mounties received complaints about a self-driving Telsa speeding while the occupants were taking a nap.
https://nationalpost.com/news/crime/...-b5d0727e44b6/
Tesla occupants slept on reclined seats as car self-drove at 140 km/h through Alberta: RCMP
The autopilot feature allows for the car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane but still requires the driver to be paying attention
On July 9, Alberta RCMP pulled over a 2019 Tesla Model S on Highway 2 near Ponoka, that was travelling at speeds up to 150 km/h and appeared to be self-driving with both seats reclined and two people inside the car sleeping.
Ponoka RCMP said in a Thursday news release police received a call about a 2019 Tesla Model S travelling at more than 140 km/h south on Highway 2 near the town around 4 p.m. on July 9. Police said the car appeared to be self-driving with both front seats reclined all the way back and the driver and passenger were asleep.
Police said when an officer turned on the cruiser’s emergency lights, the Tesla accelerated to 150 km/h.
When police received the complaint about the speeding car it initiallyappeared to be driving itself with no one inside.
“Sure enough, a short time later the Tesla goes by. The officer was sitting in the centre median and he too was like, ‘Noooo,”‘ said RCMP Sgt. Darrin Turnbull. “He couldn’t see anybody in the vehicle.
“He gets up closer to the vehicle and hits the siren, and it’s at that point he can see the driver pop up and pull over,” Turnbull said.
“We can’t say whether he was sleeping or not, or whether he was just reclined back.”
After being pulled over, the driver was charged with speeding and handed a 24-hour licence suspension for fatigue. He was later charged with dangerous driving.
“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,” RCMP traffic services Supt. Gary Graham said in the release. “They are not self-driving systems, they still come with the responsibility of driving.”
The driver is scheduled to appear in court in December.
According to Tesla’s website, the autopilot feature allows for the car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane but still requires the driver to be paying attention.
Autonomous cars are in their early stages in much of Canada, with Ontario and Quebec approving pilot projects as long as a vigilant driver is present to take control of the vehicle when needed.
There have not been any reported self-driving car crashes in Canada, but several have been reported in the U.S.
“It’s definitely a new thing, which unfortunately we might see more often,” said Turnbull.
Ponoka is more than 100 kilometres south of Edmonton.
— With files from The Canadian Press