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Autonomous vehicles
ChinaPeople & Culture

Man vs machine: Chinese driver hurtles down highway in unstoppable car after auto-cruise function takes over

Man forced to do 120km/h on busy road for nearly an hour after cruise control fails to shut off, newspaper reports 

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The Mercedes speeds through a mainland checkpoint on Wednesday. Photo: Handout
Stephen Chenin Beijing

In what appears to be a real-life version of the 1994 Keanu Reeves film Speed, a driver was reportedly trapped in his new car speeding down a busy highway at 120km/h, unable to stop after turning on its cruise control. 

For nearly an hour, the driver could not control anything other than his steering wheel as he navigated the car through thick traffic, the Henan Business Daily reported on Friday. 

The incident took place on a motorway connecting Henan and Shaanxi provinces on Wednesday evening. It was recorded and confirmed by traffic police, according to the newspaper.

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The car eventually came to stop after the driver opened the door of the moving vehicle. No one was injured, but the story has drawn great attention. 

The driver finally got the car to stop by opening the door. Photo: Handout
The driver finally got the car to stop by opening the door. Photo: Handout
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The man from Jiaozuo, Henan province said that as soon as he discovered that the auto-cruise function on his new Mercedes-Benz could not be deactivated, he contacted the company for help.

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