A male driver shocked other motorists as he was filmed soundly sleeping behind the wheel of his car while driving along a busy highway.

Phone footage captured by Mr Wei shows the driver of a white SUV sleeping with his mouth open while his vehicle was apparently set on auto-pilot and travelled along an overpass in Shanghai, China, on December 16.

Wei said he was driving on the overpass when he noticed the driver lying down and sleeping inside the car. Due to safety concerns, Wei said he tried to keep a safe distance from the vehicle.

The Shanghai Traffic Police later issued a response, stating that sleeping while driving is strictly prohibited, even if the vehicle is engaged in auto-pilot mode.

The driver was subsequently fined CNY 200 (GBP 22) and had three points deducted from his driving license, police added.