Video shows Tesla crossing busy Vancouver bridge with driver apparently asleep

Vancouver -

Imagine crossing a bridge in traffic and noticing that the driver next to you appears to be asleep. That's what happened to a Metro Vancouver resident as he was crossing the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to North Vancouver Thursday afternoon.

"I just glanced over and the woman behind the wheel was completely asleep," said Luke, who asked CTV News Vancouver to refer to him by his first name and his Instagram handle, @barneee750.

"I immediately pulled my phone out and just started recording that."

Video Luke posted to Instagram shows a young woman behind the wheel of a Tesla. She's leaning back and her eyes are closed, and Luke told CTV News she was fast asleep.

He was in the passenger seat of the vehicle next to the Tesla, and said he wasn't really sure what he would do with the video as he was recording it.

"It was mostly out of disbelief that anybody would actually commute in their car on the highway over a very busy bridge completely asleep," he said.

The video has since been provided to North Vancouver RCMP, and Luke says the driver could face a fine and six penalty points for driving without due care.

Tesla's Autopilot feature allows a car to steer, accelerate and brake within its lane, but it requires active driver supervision and doesn't make the vehicle autonomous.

Luke said he's been in several Teslas with Autopilot, and that he has a good deal of faith in the technology.

"I trust it to a certain extent, but not enough to be completely unconscious behind the wheel, that's for sure," he said.