Tesla driver appears to be asleep going more than 100 km/h on busy Ontario highway
Video has emerged showing a Tesla driver appearing to be asleep behind the wheel while travelling more than 100 km/h on a busy Ontario highway.
Louise Lesser said she was driving on the Queen Elizabeth Highway near St. Catharines around 7 a.m. on Friday when her partner looked over and thought the white Tesla in front of them didn't have a driver.
"I thought he was crazy because, obviously, a car has to have a driver," Lesser told CTV News Toronto on Friday. "I told him to slow down because I wanted to see."
Lesser said when they pulled up beside the Tesla, she noticed the driver’s seat was reclined and the person behind the wheel had their eyes closed.
She said traffic around them was moving at approximately 105 km/h at the time.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"When I was able to see in, the guy, he opened his eyes for maybe a split second, and then closed his eyes again and was fully asleep," she said. "He was behind a dump truck and all I could think is 'If that truck slams on the brake suddenly, what would happen?'"
Lesser said her partner considered honking their car horn to wake the driver up, but were worried that would startle him and cause an accident.
"I thought it was insane. I've seen traffic, especially on the QEW, it goes from being fully open, you are able to do 100 km/h, to being at a standstill in two seconds,” she said. “To know this guy wasn’t awake, it almost made me not want to be on the highway."
Video has emerged showing a Tesla driver appearing to be asleep behind the wheel on the Queen Elizabeth Highway. (Lousie Lesser)
Lesser said the driver was asleep for about another 10 to 15 minutes. She said he opened his eyes and started steering the car again when he got closer to where the highway splits towards Lewiston and Fort Erie.
CTV News Toronto showed the video to Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt. While the video has not been verified by police, he called incident "completely negligent and reckless."
"If this person is truly asleep, I don't know why the person recording the video would take the video rather than call 911,” Schmidt said. “Is this person in medical distress? What's going on inside that vehicle? It leaves a little bit of a suspicious thought in my mind as to whether this is actually legitimate or if this is staged. I don't know.”
Lesser told CTV News Toronto she did not call 911 because she couldn't get a clear look at the vehicle’s licence plate.
Schmidt said regardless of whether this video is legitimate, the actions of the driver behind the wheel are illegal.
"No one in their right mind would do this," he said. "This vehicle needs to be stopped and this driver needs to be assessed."
Vince Patton, a new Tesla owner, demonstrates on Dec. 8, 2021, on a closed course in Portland, Ore., how he can play video games on the vehicle's console while driving.
Schmidt said the OPP is not currently investigating the video because no formal complaint has been filed.
"If you're sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle, you are required and obligated to be alert and attentive. Failure to do so could result in careless driving charges and dangerous driving charges. There is no offence called asleep at the wheel, but there's a lot of other offences that would fit that category."
According to Tesla's website, their current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.
CTV News Toronto reached out to Tesla for comment, but has not heard back.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Whooping cough outbreak declared in Newfoundland
Health officials say there is an outbreak of whooping cough in eastern Newfoundland.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.