The incident took place in January on the E4 motorway in Östergötland. When a police patrol arrived at the car, they saw that the man was very much asleep, the police write on their website.
The car remained in the left lane without reacting to stop signals and blue lights. You could then catch the man on film sleeping behind the wheel, before stopping him.
The man is now sentenced to daily fines for carelessness in traffic, reports P4 Östergötland.
– It is of course never allowed to fall asleep at the wheel, no matter how smart the system you have in the car, says Björn Thunbladcoordinator for traffic region East.
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Using autopilot is illegal
Today, it is increasingly common for cars to be equipped with some form of self-driving, and depending on the manufacturer, the systems work differently well.
However, it is currently not permitted to use autopilot systems on public roads, say the police.
– The disadvantage is if you rely too much on these systems and lose focus on the road, then it can be dangerous, says Björn Thunblad.
However, Thunblad notes that the development with smarter cars is positive, and that the automated functions used correctly can save lives in the future.¨
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Can lead to jail time
The responsibility to ensure that newfangled features such as autopilot are not misused, as in this case, lies with the driver.
– If it turns out that you have been guilty of gross negligence, or have shown obvious indifference to other people’s lives or property, you can be sentenced to gross negligence in traffic with a penalty of up to two years in prison, says Björn Thunblad.
The government is currently drawing up rules for how autopilot and other similar functions may be used.
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