Recently, a driver in China was caught on camera sleeping with hands off the steering wheel while using the intelligent driving mode on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway. Despite repeated honking from nearby vehicles, the driver remained asleep as the car continued to cruise on the highway. The incident, captured on video, gained attention on October 3rd.
According to a report by the Red Star News on October 3rd, the incident took place on October 1st in the afternoon around five to six o’clock, on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway heading from Quzhou, Zhejiang to Shangrao, Jiangxi.
The person who captured the video, Mr. Yang, stated that he had been traveling alongside the vehicle for about three minutes when he noticed the driver was sleeping in the driver’s seat. Despite honking multiple times to alert the driver, there was no response.
The video footage showed the man leaning back in the driver’s seat with hands off the steering wheel. Mr. Yang mentioned that the vehicle had the assisted driving feature activated at that time.
As traffic congestion appeared ahead, the car decelerated and braked, which Mr. Yang speculated may have woken up the driver. He expressed that he shared the video to caution other drivers about the extreme danger of such behavior.
When contacted, the relevant automobile brand involved in the incident did not answer the phone calls from the mainland media.
The incident sparked concerns among netizens. A social media user commented, “I’m really afraid of encountering such people while driving on the road.” Another remarked, “Even with advanced technology, I am not willing to trust my life to machines.” Some online users questioned whether the fatigue monitoring function of the vehicle in question was functioning properly.
Chen Xiaohu, a lawyer at Beijing Dongwei (Chengdu) Law Firm, told Red Star News that currently, so-called “smart driving” still falls under the category of assisted driving, and it remains the personal responsibility of the driver to operate the vehicle. In the event of a traffic accident, the driver will be held liable accordingly.
Lawyer Du Yong from Chengdu Guocan Law Firm emphasized that assisted driving is not equivalent to fully autonomous driving, and sleeping while the vehicle is in motion constitutes illegal behavior. If a serious traffic accident occurs and meets the criteria for criminal punishment, it could potentially lead to charges of traffic violation.
In June of this year, a passenger named Ms. Chen from Guangdong reported that while traveling from Zhanjiang to Shenzhen Luohu on a ride-sharing car, the driver repeatedly fell asleep while using the assisted driving function on the highway.
Ms. Chen mentioned that the vehicle was driving at a constant speed of approximately 114 kilometers per hour for an extended period, with the driver nodding off six times despite her attempts to alert him being ineffective. The driver even used a mobile phone while driving.
Hello Travel, the service provider for the ride-sharing car, announced on June 17th that the implicated vehicle owner has been permanently banned from their platform.