Relying on "Self-Driving Gadgets" is No Different from a "Foolish Act"

Recently, a case in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, where a man used a "self-driving gadget" to drive after drinking, has attracted public attention.

According to disclosures by the "Linping Procuratorate," the man installed the "self-driving gadget" on the steering wheel of his car, which was equipped with a driving assistance system. While he lay drunk asleep in the passenger seat, the vehicle, with no one in control, drove onto an elevated road. Fortunately, traffic was sparse late at night, averting a tragedy. The man was ultimately convicted of the crime of dangerous driving, sentenced to one month and fifteen days of criminal detention, and fined 4,000 yuan.

The so-called "self-driving gadget" is an accessory that can "trick" the vehicle's steering wheel detection system, allowing the driving assistance system to continue operating even when the driver removes their hands. In April this year, the Road Traffic Safety Research Center of the Ministry of Public Security clearly stated that using such products constitutes behavior that impedes safe driving and will be punished according to the law. If a traffic accident occurs as a result, the user will bear primary responsibility.

Drunk driving is already a gamble with one's life, and combining it with the deceptive operation of a "self-driving gadget" makes it even more fatal.

At the current level of technology, "smart driving" is not fully autonomous. While a "self-driving gadget" might fool cold sensors, it cannot evade the severe punishment of the law or the lurking fatal dangers. Uphold the bottom line of the law, uphold driving responsibility, and do not let the "self-driving gadget" become a "foolish act."