Autopilot in Medical Emergency--Pulomonary Embolism

[Tam]

"Code Is My Co-pilot"

Tesla’s Autopilot Is Flawed. But Is It Also a Lifesaver?

Of interest is a 37-year-old attorney Joshua Neally (who suffered a potentially fatal medical emergency pulmonary embolism, obstruction of a blood vessel in lungs if not treated timely) continued to drive to Emergency Room with the help of Autopilot.

"He also wonders whether, without autopilot, he might have lost control of the car and in effect become a deadly projectile when those first convulsions struck."

The prudent thing would be to stop the car at the freeway shoulder immediately and waited for ambulance. However, remember that, in these cases of emergencies, every second counts.

 

[Jim R]

If he had a self driving car, continuing on was the thing to do. As we know he only had a car with some driver assist features, called autopilot.
So dialling 911 after pulling to the side of the road gets my vote.

Human nature is such that people do things in an emergency that aren't always best practices.

 

[Drivin]

The prudent thing would be to stop the car at the freeway shoulder immediately and waited for ambulance. However, remember that, in these cases of emergencies, every second counts.

But it isn't just about that person, it is about all the other people that are also driving on the road - "gee, sorry I plowed into 2 cars and killed those people in the cross walk, but every second counted for ME". The ME generation strikes again!

 

[stopcrazypp]

The first example was a mixed bag. While perhaps it did save his life (he might have been dead already if he waited for the ambulance), the responsible thing to do would be to pull over and wait for an ambulance.

The second example where the car stopped in response to a pedestrian, it was not necessarily autopilot, but rather the AEBS that did the job (although you can argue it is autopilot hardware, or "autopilot safety" features as Elon terms it).

The third example where the car stopped in response to a car in the oncoming lane making a sudden left turn had autopilot active, so it can be either.

 

[Tam]

...The third example where the car stopped in response to a car in the oncoming lane making a sudden left turn had autopilot active, so it can be either.

I believe the third case with the Uber Model S--that was driving about 45 mph and automatically made a complete stop to avoid hitting a Lateral Turn Across Path (LTAP) car from the opposite direction--was the work of Traffic-Aware Cruise Control.

According to owner's manual, Tesla Automatic Emergency Braking is not designed to brake to a stop but to reduce the current speed and once that reduction achieved, the brakes are released.

On the other hand, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is designed to brake to a complete stop to avoid a collision if necessary.

 

[Tam]

...The second example where the car stopped in response to a pedestrian, it was not necessarily autopilot, but rather the AEBS that did the job (although you can argue it is autopilot hardware, or "autopilot safety" features as Elon terms it)...

As mentioned above, Tesla Automatic Emergency Braking is not designed to brake to a stop but the driver reported it stopped.

The driver also reported hearing the impending collision alert and it is unclear whether the driver applied the brake to a stop or did the Traffic-Aware Cruise Control intervened without the driver braking.

Current official input from Tesla is from the tweet that said "Autopilot prevents serious injury or death of a pedestrian in NY (owner anecdote confirmed by vehicle logs)"

The confusion is when the article said that Tesla said the tweet is false because "Autopilot was turned off at the time..."

Until the article can prove the falsehood of the tweet, current official tweet holds.

 

[stopcrazypp]

As mentioned above, Tesla Automatic Emergency Braking is not designed to brake to a stop but the driver reported it stopped.

The driver also reported hearing the impending collision alert and it is unclear whether the driver applied the brake to a stop or did the Traffic-Aware Cruise Control intervened without the driver braking.

Current official input from Tesla is from the tweet that said "Autopilot prevents serious injury or death of a pedestrian in NY (owner anecdote confirmed by vehicle logs)"

The confusion is when the article said that Tesla said the tweet is false because "Autopilot was turned off at the time..."

Until the article can prove the falsehood of the tweet, current official tweet holds.

The AEBS reduces vehicle speed by a maximum of 25mph. So in the city, it can definitely brake to a stop if traveling under 25 mph.

 

[Tam]

The AEBS reduces vehicle speed by a maximum of 25mph. So in the city, it can definitely brake to a stop if traveling under 25 mph.

That is a good assumption, but amateur testers have never been able to get Tesla Automatic Emergency Braking to automatically brake for their low speed trials:

1) Bjorn Nyland Tests Tesla Model S Automatic Braking Feature - Video




2) Ricco831

3) With live human