Auto Pilot Does Not Like Railroad Crossings
Submitted by rweggert on October 5, 2018
While driving north on a quiet 4 lane country road with Auto Pilot and Auto Steer set at 45mph, I approached a railroad crossing and was curious how the car would respond. The crossing was a double track, fully marked with working gates, etc. The crossing crossed the road at a near 45 degree angle. The roads were well lit and properly lined. As my 2018 Model S100 came within about 20 feet of the tracks, the Take Control alert flashed and sounded. Before I could react, the car turned violently to the left and into the oncoming traffic lanes. I re-gained control and steered back into my lane without further incident. Had any traffic been approaching from the opposite direction, I would have been responsible for a very serious and possibly deadly accident. And if the car decided to turn aggressively to the right instead, I would have either totaled the car on the steel crossing gate posts or driven onto the tracks and into a ravine.
Because I had virtually no time to respond, I don't feel like re-creating the incident to determine what caused the car to react this way. This road was no different than any other highway or expressway so the argument for not engaging driver assist features is not really valid since many highways have rail crossings, cattle crossings, steel bridge dividers, etc.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any thoughts on what happened? This experience makes me reluctant to use AP since, even though I was paying very close attention, the car reacted negatively before I could take control.
Submitted by rweggert on October 5, 2018
While driving north on a quiet 4 lane country road with Auto Pilot and Auto Steer set at 45mph, I approached a railroad crossing and was curious how the car would respond. The crossing was a double track, fully marked with working gates, etc. The crossing crossed the road at a near 45 degree angle. The roads were well lit and properly lined. As my 2018 Model S100 came within about 20 feet of the tracks, the Take Control alert flashed and sounded. Before I could react, the car turned violently to the left and into the oncoming traffic lanes. I re-gained control and steered back into my lane without further incident. Had any traffic been approaching from the opposite direction, I would have been responsible for a very serious and possibly deadly accident. And if the car decided to turn aggressively to the right instead, I would have either totaled the car on the steel crossing gate posts or driven onto the tracks and into a ravine.
Because I had virtually no time to respond, I don't feel like re-creating the incident to determine what caused the car to react this way. This road was no different than any other highway or expressway so the argument for not engaging driver assist features is not really valid since many highways have rail crossings, cattle crossings, steel bridge dividers, etc.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any thoughts on what happened? This experience makes me reluctant to use AP since, even though I was paying very close attention, the car reacted negatively before I could take control.