Autopilot saved a Motorbike+Rider from an accident.

[Paddy3101]

I was driving home on NoA last night. Heavy traffic.

NoA migrated itself to the far left lane, but then that lane was stopping. NoA decided to change to a lane to the right, as I would have done.

I looked in the mirrors, shoulder checked, saw nothing, and let the lane change proceed. Car started the lane change and got to just about the lane line.

All of a sudden, the lane change aborted, and the car jinked back to the left, quite quickly. WTF I thought.

Then the motorbike, which was lane splitting perfectly legally and correctly, at a reasonable speed, slid by.

I couldn't have seen the bike from the drivers seat, due to the tall/wide truck that was following me. And I would probably not have been looking that direction once I had decided all was clear.

BUT the car is looking in all directions, all the time, so saw the problem well before I would have done.

(I also ride/commute on a motorbike, so am aware of/looking for bikes when driving. And the car did better than I, or virtual anyone else, could have done)

Well done!!!

 

[JFChenger]

Nice!

 

[Ray B]

I was driving home on NoA last night. Heavy traffic.

NoA migrated itself to the far left lane, but then that lane was stopping. NoA decided to change to a lane to the right, as I would have done.

I looked in the mirrors, shoulder checked, saw nothing, and let the lane change proceed. Car started the lane change and got to just about the lane line.

All of a sudden, the lane change aborted, and the car jinked back to the left, quite quickly. WTF I thought.

Then the motorbike, which was lane splitting perfectly legally and correctly, at a reasonable speed, slid by.

I couldn't have seen the bike from the drivers seat, due to the tall/wide truck that was following me. And I would probably not have been looking that direction once I had decided all was clear.

BUT the car is looking in all directions, all the time, so saw the problem well before I would have done.

(I also ride/commute on a motorbike, so am aware of/looking for bikes when driving. And the car did better than I, or virtual anyone else, could have done)

Well done!!!

I too ride a motorcycle and legally split lanes.
Because of this when I'm in the fast lane I always drive a bit closer to the left line (about 16" left of center) so that there is a bit more room for a motorcycle to zip by.
When driving our X I understand but am not fond of the fact that the car always centers itself in the lane.
Would be nice if AutoPilot could sense when it was in the fast lane (#1 lane or lane furthest to the left) and then position the vehicle a bit left of center to accommodate motorcycles, at least in California.

 

[widodh]

Bike rider from Europe reporting! It's legal to split lanes in traffic here as well and I do this when traffic gets really bad.

Great positive story!

 

[steve in socal]

Great story. Thanks

 

[Runnergirl]

Awesome! Everyone go hug their cars!

 

[SMAlset]

I find lane splitting to be a scary prospect. Too many times I have seen bikers go by quickly and hadn't seen them approach maybe due to their lane switching in traffic, hard to say. Like never running over an animal, I hope to never be in an accident with a biker even more so. Had a uncle and cousin who use to ride years ago and can't imagine how it would have affected their family if they were hurt riding. Fortunately I have only seen one or two bikers down while passing an accident scene. Feel horrible for the biker and the driver. Just the last few weeks in our paper saw the report of a biker killed (of course no details of how the accident happened) but I always think about this as a potential cause.

Given the OP's story I hope bike riders in lane splitting areas don't try passing around large vehicles where view of them might be blocked. And I don't think we can ever count on our cars preventing an accident like in OP's case.

 

[Roys3]

Cool. Glad to see the "Student A.I." is already better than the experienced human driver - in some important ways!

 

[TomT]

California is the only place in the world that I am aware of where lane splitting is legal.

 

[PhilDavid]

I too ride a motorcycle and legally split lanes.
Because of this when I'm in the fast lane I always drive a bit closer to the left line (about 16" left of center) so that there is a bit more room for a motorcycle to zip by.
When driving our X I understand but am not fond of the fact that the car always centers itself in the lane.
Would be nice if AutoPilot could sense when it was in the fast lane (#1 lane or lane furthest to the left) and then position the vehicle a bit left of center to accommodate motorcycles, at least in California.

Not just for motorcycles though... Wish it would offset to one side of the lane like any good driver would for to oncoming traffic, passing a large truck, etc.,

 

[widodh]

California is the only place in the world that I am aware of where lane splitting is legal.

Add one to your list: The Netherlands. During traffic and with a maximum speed of 50km/h

 

[Spacep0d]

I was driving home on NoA last night. Heavy traffic.

NoA migrated itself to the far left lane, but then that lane was stopping. NoA decided to change to a lane to the right, as I would have done.

I looked in the mirrors, shoulder checked, saw nothing, and let the lane change proceed. Car started the lane change and got to just about the lane line.

All of a sudden, the lane change aborted, and the car jinked back to the left, quite quickly. WTF I thought.

Then the motorbike, which was lane splitting perfectly legally and correctly, at a reasonable speed, slid by.

I couldn't have seen the bike from the drivers seat, due to the tall/wide truck that was following me. And I would probably not have been looking that direction once I had decided all was clear.

BUT the car is looking in all directions, all the time, so saw the problem well before I would have done.

(I also ride/commute on a motorbike, so am aware of/looking for bikes when driving. And the car did better than I, or virtual anyone else, could have done)

Well done!!!

As a fellow rider myself who lane-splits here in SoCal, I applaud the Autopilot! I'm also hoping to get a Model 3 within 6 months to a year. Great story. Here's my ride;

 

[chickensworth]

That happens to me all the time on NOA... but there’s never a bike or car in the way. Figure it’s just practicing for the real deal.

 

[Dre78]

I find lane splitting to be a scary prospect.

While atop a motorcycle, the rider's head is high and has good view to scan traffic. Additionally, motorcycles can maneuver and stop relatively fast. After riding a motorcycle for about 6 months, I found myself with a heightened awareness/fright of vehicles on the road, both riding on two wheels and driving on four. And to the OP's post, a major factor to purchasing Tesla for me was the easing of this stress; displacing some of my own hyper awareness to the technology of Tesla.

Too many times I have seen bikers go by quickly and hadn't seen them approach maybe due to their lane switching in traffic, hard to say.

So long as you're driving predictably, and using turn signal to indicate intent to change lanes, you're doing both the motorcycle and general driving population a service.

Given the OP's story I hope bike riders in lane splitting areas don't try passing around large vehicles where view of them might be blocked. And I don't think we can ever count on our cars preventing an accident like in OP's case.

I totally agree with this. When lane sharing I would always make sure I could see the side mirror of the cars I would be passing. If the tall/wide truck in the OP was tail-gating, I could see how this could have been a tragic accident; I'm glad Tesla saved the day. Would be even better if the situation didn't exist in the first place.

Keep the rubber side down!

 

[Kelela]

Not clear on whether AP or NoA gets the credit for that slick move but I hope it's the former so that all AP-ready cars will take care of bikers that way, not just the cars with the paid upgrade.

I responded to Elon's Twitter invitation some months ago for feedback on the Model 3 to suggest Lane Splitter Detection, in which the car would shift slightly out of the middle of the Lane when a biker is approaching. Hope they're listening. Elon reportedly lost a family member to a motorcycle accident which is why he says there'll never be a Tesla bike. Perhaps that sensitivity will yield a deliberate attention to how Tesla can increase safety for riders.

I'm a lane-splitter from decades back—before it was legal (ie, in California it hadn't been declared illegal as in some states). Non-riders simply have no way to realize that from the rider's perspective a) it's easy to observe when a car is changing lanes, with ample time to respond; and b) there's this wide open channel down the roadway that begs to be taken advantage of.* Except, of course, now and then two vehicles are both crowding the lane line so you gotta wait them out.

* - On my road trip to Sturgis last summer it was so frustrating to be stuck on traffic in the states where it's illegal. :/

 

[riche]

I gave up a car I really liked and was planning to keep for several more years to get the Model 3, even though I didn't really need it, it is an unwanted new obligation in a time when I am seeking to simplify, and it really ended up costing me thousands more than I had anticipated.

This story illustrates why.

I just kept thinking to myself "if I delay getting this Tesla (with FSD), and I get into an accident with an injury or serious damages that would have prevented if I had my Tesla, then I would have regretted it forever.

My old car is now in the hands of someone who needed it more than I did, and whose old car is now HOPEFULLY on it's way to the crusher - She drives very few miles, and my old car will be safer for her than her old car would have been.

The FSD/AP collision avoidance system is ALWAYS looking in EVERY direction. It is ALWAYS working to keep the car exactly where it should be. It ALWAYS signals it's lane change. In the future, it will ALWAYS observer traffic signals (to the best of it's ability), speed limits, and be CONSTANTLY vigilant for potential dangers of ANY kind (as much as it is able to detect)

For these reasons alone, I will never regret buying this car more expensive than I expected, sooner than I had planned, and honestly much, much better than I needed.