The Guelph Police Service says a 60-year-old man from New York has been charged with careless driving after officers found him asleep behind the wheel of his Tesla while the vehicle drove north on the Hanlon Expressway near Speedvale Avenue on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at about 6:30 p.m.
An officer responded after police were notified about the sleeping driver, located the vehicle driving on the Hanlon near Speedvale Avenue, confirmed the driver was asleep and pulled the vehicle over. The man was charged under Section 130 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act. Tesla’s website states that its currently enabled Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.
Careless driving under Section 130(1) of the Highway Traffic Act is a provincial offence. A conviction can result in fines ranging from $400 to $2,000, up to six months in jail, and six demerit points on a licence. The charge in this case reflects a driver-compliance issue rather than an identified vehicle defect or a gap in provincial rules.
