Woman Distracted by Argument with Boyfriend While Using Driver Assist Crashes into Barrier, Fined and Penalized 3 Points

At approximately 22:35 on May 31, on the Taizhou section of the G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway, a white sedan suddenly veered left out of its lane while traveling normally, colliding with construction barriers on the left side and causing significant displacement of the barrier units. Taizhou traffic police detected the incident via video surveillance and immediately dispatched rescue personnel to the scene. Investigations revealed that the driver, Ms. Lin, had activated her vehicle’s driver-assistance system at the time of the crash. During the journey, she became engaged in an argument with her boyfriend seated in the back seat, failed to pay attention to the complex road conditions ahead in the construction zone, and did not take manual control of the vehicle in time, resulting in loss of vehicle control. Traffic police determined that Ms. Lin engaged in behavior that compromised safe driving, held her fully responsible for the accident, and imposed a fine along with a 3-point penalty on her license in accordance with the law. Neither Ms. Lin nor her boyfriend sustained injuries in the incident. The case remains under further investigation. According to current national standards, vehicle driving automation is classified into levels 0 through 5. Levels L2 and below all require drivers to monitor the driving environment continuously and be prepared to assume immediate control of the vehicle—driver-assistance features are not equivalent to autonomous driving.