Driver Fined for Sleeping While Using ADAS, Leaving Car Stranded in Highway Fast Lane

At 6:21 a.m. on May 5, a black SUV slowed down and eventually came to a stop in the overtaking lane near the Dayin exit on the Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway heading toward Ningbo. The driver remained inside the vehicle and did not call for help. As vehicles on this stretch of highway typically travel at high speeds, multiple cars behind had to make emergency maneuvers to avoid a collision, narrowly escaping a rear-end accident. Just as traffic police were about to arrive at the scene, the SUV suddenly drove away and was later intercepted by highway patrol officers. Investigation revealed that the driver, surnamed Huang, had departed from Lishui around 3 a.m. that day en route to Liuhe Island. Concerned about long queues for the ferry and feeling fatigued due to insufficient rest, he had briefly exited the expressway in Shaoxing for a short break before re-entering and activating his vehicle’s driver assistance system. During the journey, Huang fell asleep at the wheel. The assistance system, detecting no driver input for an extended period, automatically disengaged, causing the vehicle to halt in the overtaking lane. Upon waking, Huang immediately drove off. He was ultimately fined 200 RMB and penalized with 9 demerit points for illegally stopping on the expressway, and received an additional 200 RMB fine for fatigued driving. Authorities reminded the public that driver assistance systems are not equivalent to autonomous driving. Drivers remain primarily responsible for road safety at all times, and those who blindly rely on such systems and cause accidents will bear corresponding legal liabilities.