Woman in China fined for dancing and applying makeup while driving

The woman, surnamed Lin, is from Wenzhou City and had frequently posted videos online about the driver-assistance system in her car, local outlet CCTV News reported.

In videos widely shared on social media, Lin was seen driving through a tunnel with the system activated while taking both hands off the steering wheel to apply makeup, dance to music and eat snacks.

The AITO SUV features an assisted-driving system. Photo from Instagram/@aito_auto.by

She was driving a 500,000 yuan (US$73,000) AITO SUV, a premium smart vehicle brand backed by Chinese tech firm Huawei.

Local traffic police contacted Lin after internet users reported her for dangerous driving. They warned her that driver-assistance systems were designed for simple road conditions and would not be able to handle complex traffic scenarios or emergencies.

"Although my hands were doing other things, I was still thinking about driving.

"I really trust smart driving. As a female driver, I think it drives better than I do," she told the police.

Under China’s regulations, motorists are legally responsible when using driver-assistance systems, and violations can result in fines, licence suspension or administrative detention.

Lin was subsequently fined 200 yuan and had points deducted from her licence for obstructing safe driving.

According to the South China Morning Post, misuse of driver-assistance technology is a recurring issue in China.

On May 4, a man returning to Shanghai said he saw a driver asleep in a speeding car with its assisted-driving system turned on.

In Feb. 2023, a drunk driver in central China used the assisted-driving function and later argued he was not controlling the vehicle. He was sentenced to five months’ detention and fined 10,000 yuan.