Woman Fined $28 and Docked 3 Points for Letting Dog Sit in Driver’s Seat During Auto-Parking

On July 4, a 38-year-old woman surnamed Shi drove a small passenger vehicle to a roadside parking space on Yuqing Road in Shanghai's Xuhui District. In an attempt to attract attention, she placed her Husky dog alone in the driver’s seat and activated the vehicle’s automated parking function from outside the car. This caused the vehicle to park itself into the space without anyone inside, drawing a crowd of onlookers. A video of the incident circulated online and sparked widespread discussion. Following an investigation, police determined that Shi’s actions constituted obstructing safe driving. She was legally fined 200 RMB and received three demerit points on her driver’s license. Traffic authorities reminded the public that features like automated parking are classified as Level 2 driver assistance systems, and drivers must remain in control of the vehicle at all times—never leaving the driver’s seat or allowing non-drivers or animals to occupy it.