Fox News Flash top headlines for September 17
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
A Canadian man has been charged after he was found asleep at the wheel of a "self-driving" Tesla traveling over 93 mph down a highway in the province of Alberta, authorities said on Thursday.
The July 9 incident occurred after authorities received a complaint that a Model S Tesla was speeding on a highway near the town of Ponoka, located about 60 miles south of Edmonton, according to a release by Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP).
“The car appeared to be self-driving, traveling over 140km/h, with both front seats completely reclined and both occupants appearing to be asleep,” the RCMP said in a statement.
TESLA FAN TURNS FORD F-150 RAPTOR INTO CYBERTRUCK
Photo of Tesla Model S with reclined seats. (RCMP)
Police said that after a responding officer flashed emergency lights on their vehicle, the Tesla "automatically began to accelerate," and sped up to "exactly 150 km/h."
The driver, a male, 20, from British Columbia, was charged with speeding and given a 24-hour license suspension for fatigue.
After further investigation, the man was also charged with dangerous driving and he was served a summons to appear in court in December, the RCMP said.
TESLA ON AUTOPILOT HITS POLICE CAR AS DRIVER WATCHES MOVIE ON CELLPHONE
Last month, a North Carolina doctor’s Tesla operating on Autopilot crashed into a police car as he was watching a movie on his cellphone.
Tesla’s Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” systems have the capability to steer a car within a lane and avoid some obstacles, however, they require the driver to show they are attentive by touching the steering wheel, reports said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"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," said Superintendent Gary Graham of Alberta RCMP Traffic Services. "They are not self-driving systems, they still come with the responsibility of driving."
Fox News' Gary Gastelu contributed to this report