A 20-year old Canadian man who fell asleep while at the wheel of his 2019 Model S Tesla has been charged with dangerous driving.
The unidentified driver was arrested July 9 after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received a complaint of a car speeding in Alberta. The vehicle was traveling at 150 km (93.2 miles) per hour, according to police.
When an officer tried to approach the vehicle the Tesla “automatically began to accelerate.”
Once the driver was pulled over, the officer charged the individual with speeding and suspended his license for 24 hours. However, after further investigation, he was charged with dangerous driving and is due in court in December, according to the report.
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“Although manufactures 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,” Superintendent Gary Graham of Alberta RCMP Traffic Services said. “They are not self-driving systems, they still come with the responsibility of driving.” (RELATED: ‘This Is Not Freedom’: Elon Musk Blasts ‘Fascist’ Government Imposed Lockdowns)
Tesla encourages drivers to pay attention to the road when using Autosteer, and says the feature should not be used on highways with sharp turns or faded road markings.
In 2018 Apple employee Walter Huang died after his Tesla veered off the highway, accelerated and crashed before bursting into flames. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found Autosteer had been in use for nearly 19 minutes, according to CNN.
Tesla said the only way the accident could’ve happened is if Huang did not pay attention to the road “despite the car providing multiple warnings to do so,” according to CNN.