Apple engineer killed in Tesla crash had previously complained about autopilot

Post by StevenRayOrr » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 4:09 PM UTC

mumblemumble wrote: post #659

dkonofalski wrote: post #639

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I don't understand the sad conclusion of the story in the article. The driver knew that AutoPilot had issues with that stretch of the freeway and was able to repeat the issues on several occasions but still thought it best to be on his phone, while driving 71 mph, at the mercy of AutoPilot? Especially considering that he was an engineer who had expressed concern over this, it seems silly to me that he wou…

We don't need to understand it. We just need to know that, even armed with all that knowledge, he still made the decision he did, and that we should not expect others with less knowledge of how software works to be any less human.

Post by borkt » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 4:11 PM UTC

tiborsaas wrote: post #669

hugh-avherald wrote: post #646

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Humans are terrible at safe driving I'd dispute this. I'd say humans are excellent at many aspects of it. The high mortality is simply because driving is inherently dangerous and we do a lot of it. I imagine the solution is basically what has happened over the last 60 years: gradual changes to improve safe driving.

"Nearly 1.25 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled." https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/

Post by eropple » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 4:14 PM UTC

natch wrote: post #157

eropple wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Words, in general, mean things. "Autopilot" is a word that means things. It does not, most notably mean "at its most generously-described best, full and complete attention the entire time lest it send you into the side of a semi at highway speeds or direct you into a concrete barrier". Tesla does not need any heroes with capes attempting to minimize their literally-not-figuratively-dangerous marketing. They'll do fin…

Instead of trying to tear Tesla down for something you are doing yourself, why not look for the positive aspects of what is happening? The technology is getting hugely better over time, so whatever you have been reading about it is probably outdated.

Post by cmurf » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 4:15 PM UTC

StevenRayOrr wrote: post #701

mumblemumble wrote: post #659

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't need to understand it. We just need to know that, even armed with all that knowledge, he still made the decision he did, and that we should not expect others with less knowledge of how software works to be any less human.

> We just need to know that, even armed with all that knowledge, he still made the decision he did, and that we should not expect others with less knowledge of how software works to be any less human. This is maybe one of the most important lessons of the 20th and 21st centuries (at least thus far): knowledge does not automatically prevent us from errors in judgments nor does it necessarily protect us from misfortune…

Post by Lammy » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 4:18 PM UTC

_ph_ wrote: post #653

Lammy wrote: post #608

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So people can't drive for long with their hands completely off the steering wheel, until they use some kind of defeating device. Is that what happened in this case then? Serious question; never driven a Tesla. https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2018/11/30/los-altos-pla...

As the driver was still unresponsive until woken by the police, I would think it was the autopilot eventually stopping the car.