Man Jailed for Drunk Driving with L2 Assist, Falls Asleep on Highway

The Yuecheng District People's Court of Shaoxing City recently concluded a dangerous driving case. The defendant, surnamed Qiu, after drinking with friends in Zhuji, drove a vehicle equipped with an L2-level intelligent driver-assistance system back to Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou, opting not to hire a designated driver and mistakenly believing that activating the driver-assistance feature would ensure a safe journey. While traveling on a downhill section of the Kezhu Expressway, Qiu fell asleep due to alcohol intoxication. The vehicle’s driver-assistance system automatically stopped the car after failing to detect any response from the driver. A blood test revealed Qiu’s blood alcohol concentration was 126 mg per 100 ml, exceeding the legal drunk-driving threshold of 80 mg per 100 ml. The court ruled that an L2-level driver-assistance system requires the driver to share driving responsibilities with the system and maintain continuous supervision. By operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol on a highway using this system, Qiu committed the crime of dangerous driving and was lawfully sentenced to criminal detention and fined.