A Maple Ridge woman has been issued a ticket for driving without due care and attention after witnesses allegedly caught her sleeping behind the wheel of a Tesla in North Vancouver last month. The incident occurred on Highway 1 near Mountain Highway on Aug. 11, just before 3:30 p.m., according to a statement shared Wednesday by B.C. Highway Patrol. A brief video shared with the statement shows the white Tesla rolling forward, apparently in traffic, while the person in the driver’s seat appears unconscious. Two witnesses in a neighbouring vehicle reported the incident and recorded the video, police said. Based on the description they provided and the video evidence, BCHP officers were able to locate the vehicle’s registered owner at her home in Maple Ridge. The 45-year-old registered owner matched the description of the sleeping driver and was issued a ticket for driving without due care and attention, police said. The Motor Vehicle Act offence comes with a $368 ticket and six penalty points, according to ICBC. “Police will not debate the merits of self-driving technology with sleeping drivers,” said Sgt. Michael McLaughlin, in the BCHP statement. “It’s illegal in B.C., and we’re here to enforce the law and keep roads safe. Driver inattention is a major factor in serious and deadly collisions. You must be completely focused and alert when you’re behind the wheel of any motor vehicle in B.C.”
