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Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

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Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#31
post #16
post #2

This comment from OP (beastpilot) is pretty frightening: > Yep, works for 6 months with zero issues. Then one Friday night you get an update. Everything works that weekend, and on your way to work on Monday. Then, 18 minutes into your commute home, it drives straight at a barrier at 60 MPH. > It's important to remember that it's not like you got the update 5 minutes before this happened. Even worse, you may not know…

Elsewhere from the comments: "Yes the lane width detection and centering was introduced in 10.4. Our X does this now as well and while it's a welcome intoroduction in most cases every one in a while in this instance or when HOV lanes split it is unwelcome." So basically, if I'm understanding this right they introduced a new feature that positions your car a little more consistently in the lane at the small cost of so…

And that's exactly what makes Tesla PR so disingenuous, they know better than anybody what updates they did and how often their updated software passed that point and yet they will happily cite numbers they know to be wrong.

So, now regarding that previous crash: did that driver (or should I say occupant) get lulled into a false sense of security because he'd been through there many times in the past and it worked until that update happened and then it suddenly didn't?

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#32
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not usable anywhere. What if I draw a fake line on the road? will it follow it? what if you have wet paint and another vehicle smudges it diagonally to the lane?

Exactly. This is what I’ve been saying. It is so dangerous. I love Tesla but I think autopilot is currently a death trap.

> I think autopilot is currently a death trap.

I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. As long as the driver keeps paying attention and uses it as a driving aid, not a driver replacement, everything is fine. It's the moment that people start relying on it doing something that it wasn't built for, that the problems arise.

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#33
post #13

Autopilot tech in general should be open and shared among ccompanies and universities. The more brains we can put on this the better imho. If these things happen too often, Im afraid regulators will start making laws that prevent the use of this tech, which I believe has the potential to really make life better for all... one day.

The regulators have been really easygoing so far with automated cars. I strongly suspect its because they take the optimistic comments of the tech industry at face value that these technologies are road ready. Meanwhile, I think Tesla and Uber perceive this as more of an open alpha. This will not end well.

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#34
post #15
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Very glad the driver had 100% of their attention on the road at that moment. Yes, and 100% is critical. That required pretty quick and smooth reactions. The car started to follow the right-hand lane, then suddenly re-centered on the barrier. The driver had about a second to see that and correct. That's just the sort of situation where even a slightly inattentive driver might panic and overcorrect, which could cause…

So your basically paying (A lot) of cash to beta test their software for them... at your own (Very personal) risk!

And endanger others who have decided to opt-out of the beta test. Keep in mind that in any accident all bets are off with respect to the traffic around you, even if you ram into a stationary barrier you could easily rebound into other traffic.

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#35
post #24
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not usable anywhere. What if I draw a fake line on the road? will it follow it? what if you have wet paint and another vehicle smudges it diagonally to the lane?

I have a pretty simple lane keeping aid in my car that keeps me within the lines. Yesterday it suddenly steered towards a wall. I think it may have been confused by either glare (low sun right in front of me) or a shadow line on the road.

What make & model?

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#37
post #27

One of the great things about self driving cars is that we are going to start "debugging Roads". From my point of view all accidents until this time could be attributed to the civil engineer that build the road as much as the driver of the car. You make a pedestrian pass between roads made only for aesthetic purposes so you put a sign forbidding the pass and call it done. But people of course use it and get killed. Y…

> One of the great things about self driving cars is that we are going to start "debugging Roads".

We've been debugging roads since Roman times. This is mostly about debugging software, and even more about crappy software development processes. After all, if your update is not monotonically improving things you have a real problem if your product is mission critical and lives are at stake.

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#38
post #13

Autopilot tech in general should be open and shared among ccompanies and universities. The more brains we can put on this the better imho. If these things happen too often, Im afraid regulators will start making laws that prevent the use of this tech, which I believe has the potential to really make life better for all... one day.

Serious question: how will it make life better for all? I haven't given that question a lot of thought, and I haven't heard legit answers from others yet.

Fewer dead people sounds good.

Re: Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

#39
post #13

Autopilot tech in general should be open and shared among ccompanies and universities. The more brains we can put on this the better imho. If these things happen too often, Im afraid regulators will start making laws that prevent the use of this tech, which I believe has the potential to really make life better for all... one day.

Serious question: how will it make life better for all? I haven't given that question a lot of thought, and I haven't heard legit answers from others yet.

If done well (long way to go still) there will be less traffic accidents, less traffic jams, etc.
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