[JustChris]

Off Topic I know but that section has been locked for update this morning. So,...

I heard on the news that Tesla were under investigation as a car in California was involved in a fatality while on auto pilot. Christ that's bad. It's in no way proven the Tesla was even at fault but a tad worrying. I want to keep driving myself!

[mpawood]

I read that it was very unfortunate circumstances, the kind you can never anticipate when designing, coding or testing. There will be more incidents like this for sure, but in the same way we don't stop any flying after a crash, we just have to ensure the same circumstances don't lead to another incident. Automated driving has to be the future in order to ease congestion!

[JD6]

On BBC R4 they said that it was an HGV with a tall white trailer that the Tesla pulled into. Apparently the white trailer against the white sky, combined with the sensor possibly being too low was part of the cause. As another commentator mentioned, the Tesla also has ultrasonic and radar detectors, so doesn't rely upon the camera alone. They also said that Tesla's system is known to have blind spots, unlike Mercedes.

I tried a Model S last year and had a call from the showroom this year to see if I wanted to try out Autopilot. It feels like being an early adopter on a system like this is a bad idea. I'll try version 4.0, when the 'test pilots' have ironed out the bugs.

[notused]

Originally Posted by JD6

On BBC R4 they said that it was an HGV with a tall white trailer that the Tesla pulled into.

And trailers/lorries in the US do not have side impact bars like we do here ie the ones that prevent cars from going under. No idea why they don't.

[JustChris]

I see. Was it the Tesla driver killed or someone else, suppose I should go and look..

[notused]

Originally Posted by JustChris

I see. Was it the Tesla driver killed or someone else, suppose I should go and look..

Tesla driver.

From BBC:
The company said in a statement: "The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S."

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by RWDpetrol

Tesla driver.

From BBC:
The company said in a statement: "The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S."

My goodness that is tragic, guy thinks he's activating an additional cost safety feature to be even safer, and it has the worst possible opposite end result.

[philiper1]

just saw this too, he actually has got a few videos on his youtube channel and admiring the feature!

[73henny]

I wonder why he didn't brake. Perhaps he couldn't see the trailer either due to being blinded by the sun.

[Apollocs]

There could be a lot of different factors involved. Accidents are usually always a chain of events that conspire to produce the outcome.

We don't know how close he was when the truck pulled across in front of him. Was he paying attention or lulled into a false sense of security by the 'autopilot'? If he was looking in the right place at the right time for the clues of what was about to happen was there even enough time to brake? Did he have time to duck or lean over below dashboard height, could that have saved him?

So many variables in play. I wonder if there is dashcam evidence since he posted quite a few videos?

[SkyJawa]

Hopefully he wasn't having a false sense of security, I have ACC and we have ACC with Active Lane Assist on the Octavia (ok not the same as autopilot although the Skoda will steer for you for a short time) and I am never lulled into its ability, I am still fully monitoring the situation myself ready to take over at any time.

[Drisser]

my view of self driving cars is simple - why ?

If you don't want to drive, take a bus, train or taxi.

If you do want to drive, enjoy it and buy a car you like driving.

The first boxes I never tick on a car are all these assistance systems - active lane assist, active this active that, blind spot warning lights. Just pay attention when you drive, have managed without them for 25 years and touch wood never had a single dink or crash. Putting human decision making in the hands of tech solely is the kiss of death.. no pun intended.

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by Drisser

my view of self driving cars is simple - why ?

If you don't want to drive, take a bus, train or taxi.

If you do want to drive, enjoy it and buy a car you like driving.

The first boxes I never tick on a car are all these assistance systems - active lane assist, active this active that, blind spot warning lights. Just pay attention when you drive, have managed without them for 25 years and touch wood never had a single dink or crash. Putting human decision making in the hands of tech solely is the kiss of death.. no pun intended.

Ditto.

[Drisser]

Like anything, such as driving in snow its not my driving I worry about, but other peoples.. not sure how any system in my lifetime is going to legislate for granny doris pootling round the corner and hitting me or someone else falling asleep and hitting me head on. I would rather trust my own judgement to avoid such a crash tbh.

[HighlandPete]

Tragic accident it seems.

Been hearing comments this morning how this incident (and if there are other accidents) will undermine the confidence of moving to autonomous technology.

I note this in the BBC news item.

But the incident could be a serious blow to the reputation of autonomous technology at a time when regulators across the world are considering how to safely introduce it on public roads.

I have a problem with all the technology we already have in cars, how it can mess with concentration. Many drivers are not giving attention to what is going on around them, clear to see from the erratic driving we observe.

Personally I wonder if systems should be limited in their application, more to alert and 'assist in an emergency' where a driver does have lapses, (such as systems already being fitted like lane warning, ACC, etc.) rather than give responsibility to over to the technology.

Certainly a two edged sword, allowing (even encouraging) drivers to abdicate responsibility for their driving.

[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Tragic accident it seems.

Been hearing comments this morning how this incident (and if there are other accidents) will undermine the confidence of moving to autonomous technology.

I note this in the BBC news item.



I have a problem with all the technology we already have in cars, how it can mess with concentration. Many drivers are not giving attention to what is going on around them, clear to see from the erratic driving we observe.

Personally I wonder if systems should be limited in their application, more to alert and 'assist in an emergency' where a driver does have lapses, (such as systems already being fitted like lane warning, ACC, etc.) rather than give responsibility to over to the technology.

Certainly a two edged sword, allowing (even encouraging) drivers to abdicate responsibility for their driving.

X2
I'd want to drive myself
If not I'll take a bus or train
The worst is if the autonomous program cause my car to injure someone else..
the world these days tries to dumb everyone down so they dont need to think or act

[Gabreigns]

He was playing Hairy Pooter when he was involved in the crash.

http://jalopnik.com/man-killed-in-se...pot-1782935648

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by Drisser

my view of self driving cars is simple - why ?

If you don't want to drive, take a bus, train or taxi.

If you do want to drive, enjoy it and buy a car you like driving.

The first boxes I never tick on a car are all these assistance systems - active lane assist, active this active that, blind spot warning lights. Just pay attention when you drive, have managed without them for 25 years and touch wood never had a single dink or crash. Putting human decision making in the hands of tech solely is the kiss of death.. no pun intended.

+1 - what a load of money being wasted on this sci-fi dream. Put it towards cleaner fuel research, nuclear fusion (more money is spent in US on dog grooming)...

Can't ever see there being an autonomous driving system with the appropriate coding, safety systems, intuition and rule set to replace a person behind a wheel.

[Wills2]

Tragic accident and has been said many things will have come together to cause it.

It does pose a question for the future of autonomous vehicles and that is the question of trust and whether the GP will trust them. Clearly people trust themselves to drive safely (however misplaced that trust is) People perceive themselves to be good drivers and responsible enough to look after their best interests and life.

Even if the autonomous cars are better than humans if they still crash then people won't buy in to it.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Wills2

It does pose a question for the future of autonomous vehicles and that is the question of trust and whether the GP will trust them. Clearly people trust themselves to drive safely (however misplaced that trust is) People perceive themselves to be good drivers and responsible enough to look after their best interests and life.

Even if the autonomous cars are better than humans if they still crash then people won't buy in to it.

I see major trust issues in any event, many of us can't even trust an electronic "dipstick", let alone leave "computers" to drive the car, however good and proven it is said to be.

Here's a valid question. Will the autonomous vehicle drive faster than the average wayward driver? Maybe we won't have an autonomous "trog" holding up the traffic flows at 40 - 45mph and slowing to 30mph at every bend on a 60mph trunk road.

If it sorts out the slow and annoyingly erratic driver, bring it on!

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

I see major trust issues in any event, many of us can't even trust an electronic "dipstick", let alone leave "computers" to drive the car, however good and proven it is said to be.

Here's a valid question. Will the autonomous vehicle drive faster than the average wayward driver? Maybe we won't have an autonomous "trog" holding up the traffic flows at 40 - 45mph and slowing to 30mph at every bend on a 60mph trunk road.

If it sorts out the slow and annoyingly erratic driver, bring it on!

How long will it take for people to "chip" their autonomous car and programme the Michael Schumacher file?

[335dJa]

My worry is, at some point, autopilot will be advanced enough to "choose" who is to be the casualty(s) in an unavoidable accident. This will boil down to programming, should the car protect its occupants at all costs, or minimise potential casualties by deliberately injuring/killing the passengers to save the other parties involved.