Tesla ‘on Autopilot’ slams into parked fire truck on freeway

Post by paulddraper » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 4:11 AM UTC

manicdee wrote: post #121

paulddraper wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They exist. But collision avoidance is far from a necessary retirement. E.g. my father in law's private single engine. Autopilot is basically cruise control, but you know...for a pilot

There’s Autothrottle, which is more like cruise control. Autopilot controls attitude aka steering. Tesla Autopilot is a combination of both steering and throttle control.

Post by toomuchtodo » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 4:14 AM UTC

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #120

toomuchtodo wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla’s data shows autopilot (TACC + Autosteer) to be 50% safer than human driver control. While I have yet to see an independent study verifying that, the evidence is compelling. Humans are terrible drivers. Time will tell as they ramp production.

Where does Tesla's data show TACC + Autosteer to be 50% safer than human driver control?

Post by toast0 » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 4:15 AM UTC

nikkwong wrote: post #88

jread wrote: post #81

As a current Tesla owner and frequent autopilot user I can attest to this being a scenario where autopilot has not worked for me - traveling at high speed and approaching a stopped vehicle from a distance. I now always take it off autopilot when this occurs because it will not brake in time.

From a technical perspective—why would Tesla not have taken more care to address this scenario? It seems like low hanging fruit in comparison to other challenges that autopilot has to be able to handle.

Post by greglindahl » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 4:22 AM UTC

sjwright wrote: post #79

SheinhardtWigCo wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you think human drivers should do differently when driving near a car that is under computer control?

The equally interesting question is what you think computer drivers should do differently when driving near a car that is under computer control. For example, if your computer control car knows that the car behind is also computer controlled, it could be more aggressive on the brakes to avoid a forward collision without causing a rear collision.

Post by hndamien » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 4:28 AM UTC

yk wrote: post #43

hndamien wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't called full self driving, it is called auto-pilot. In aviation, auto-pilot is a system used to control the trajectory of an aircraft without constant 'hands-on' control by a human operator being required. Autopilots do not replace human operators but assist them in controlling aircraft, allowing them to focus on broader aspects of operations.

Well context is important, the people who operate planes know exactly what autopilot in a specific plane means, the people who operate cars are generally aware that there are cars.