WATCH: Tesla driver appears to nap while travelling on QEW

It appears a Tesla driver became a little too relaxed behind the wheel on a southern Ontario highway on Friday morning.

A new unsettling video shows a man driving a Tesla appearing to nap while travelling at high speeds on the QEW in St. Catharines.

A passenger captured the footage in a different vehicle in the Niagara-bound lanes of the highway around 7 a.m.

Louise Lesser tells CityNews she was heading towards the U.S. border and tracked the vehicle for several kilometres.

“He opened his eyes for a split second because of the sun, then didn’t open them again the entire time we were watching,” she says.

Lesser estimates the driver’s eyes were closed for another 10 to 15 minutes. She says he appeared to retake control of the car as the vehicles approached Fort Erie, Ont.

“Closer to the split between Lewiston and Fort Erie, he opened his eyes and started driving himself,” she said. “Because we watched him speed by us and a few other cars.”

RELATED: ‘Totally irresponsible’: Mixed reaction after man caught allegedly asleep in self-driving Tesla on QEW

She says she also noticed an empty child’s car seat in the back of the vehicle.

“It was certainly unsettling to watch,” says Lesser. “All I could think about is what if there was a child in there with him.”

“The most surprising thing to me is the amount of people online who don’t see a problem with it at all.”

Const. Sean Shapiro of Toronto Traffic Services says truly self-driving cars are not yet legal in Ontario. He mentions six levels of driver automation, from zero to full driving automation.

“To be clear, the driver is still responsible for the safe operation of the motor vehicle at all times.”

Const. Shapiro says sleeping in a vehicle would constitute as careless, regardless of a collision. Level 2 technology vehicles also do not acknowledge stop signs.

OPP says police should have been notified

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Sergeant Kerry Schmidt tells CityNews he’s aware of the video circulating online and says he’s concerned that officers weren’t made aware of the incident on the highway.

“We have not received an official complaint about it,” Schmidt says.

“Seeing it on the video is concerning. The circumstances surrounding it are unverified. I don’t know if this is something that someone came across or if it’s a publicity stunt. Obviously, this is someone asleep at the wheel; apparently, not paying attention to what is happening in front of them is very concerning.”

Sgt. Schmidt says it could have been a case of a person in distress and an immediate 911 call.

“I am surprised someone would make this video as opposed to calling 911,” Schmidt says. “If this were, in fact, a person asleep at the wheel, I would be very concerned about what this vehicle might come into. The fact that someone is recording this rather than calling 911 is a huge concern for me right off the bat.”

A new video shows a man behind the wheel of a Tesla appearing to nap while travelling at high speeds on the QEW in St. Catharines. Photo: Unsplash.

In 2020, a Tesla driver in Alberta was charged with dangerous driving after being pulled over for sleeping while travelling 150 km/h (93 mph). The 2019 Tesla Model S “appeared to be self-driving,” police said, “travelling over 140 km/h, with both front seats completely reclined and both occupants appearing to be asleep.”

Tesla’s website notes that the autopilot component “enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane.” It also states that autopilot features require “active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

According to Tesla’s autopilot description, the car manufacturer says, “The system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver’s seat.”

Sgt. Schmidt says no one made a report with the OPP over this latest incident.

“If a complaint comes in, we’ll certainly look into it,” Schmidt adds. “This kind of behaviour would be completely unacceptable.”