AutoPilot track record is great so far

[Electroman]

I am guessing Electricfans modus operandi is to get himself killed by arguably a feature that according to him is not ready to be released, and then sue Tesla.

That calls for a Darwin award.

 

[Beryl]

Some folks need to read this thread:
A flight instructor teaches Tesla Autopilot

They should then use autopilot as intended (it is not autonomous driving) and not ruin it for the rest of us who want the reduced stress during rush hour highway driving that autopilot provides.

 

[stevej119]

I'm still waiting for the post where Electricfan reveals that he was just trying to see how gullible we all are. I mean, c'mon! "(Paraphrasing) They sold me a car which slows down, speeds up and steers by itself. I don't think it's capable of doing what I was expecting it to be able to do. Of course I'm going to read a book while barreling down the freeway in traffic at 75mph! It will be Tesla's fault when that happens."

I was thinking the exact same thing as Todd Burch. If Electricfan were to injure or kill someone while driving with Autopilot and reading a book, he's already incriminated himself with his postings. Again paraphrasing "I know it's not good enough for I want it to do, but I'm doing it anyway because I expected something different when I bought it."

 

[bhzmark]

@Electricfan
Thought experiment. Suppose you have this exchange with your neighbor:


What would you say next?

When the light is green adaptive cruise follows the car in front of it.
When the light is red adaptive cruise slows down and stops behind the car in front of it.
If there isn't a car in front and the light turns yellow or red, I will then, and only then, have to apply the brake or accel.

 

[kort677]

could he be a troll?

 

[Max*]

"In the meantime I'm using it as I want - its my car, my decision."

I agree, I should be able to drive to the liquor store after I just drank a dozen beers to buy more beer, it's my car! O wait....

 

[mikeash]

I was reading my book, the car was driving on autopilot.

Holy crap! You read a book while using autopilot? Please, sell your car and take the bus.

 

[donv]

I've seen quite a few people reading books while driving on the freeway in cars which don't have any sort of autopilot at all.

 

[Johan]

I wonder if this was the book he was reading?

 

[Electricfan]

@Electricfan
Thought experiment. Suppose you have this exchange with your neighbor:




What would you say next?

I re-read that several times. I think you're asking what would the neighbor say next? The first line is me, bragging about my car. The second line is the neighbor, asking about stoplights. The third line is me answering that yes there are stoplights and the car doesn't see them. So you're asking for the fourth line - what would the neighbor say - is that right?

I'm guessing the neighbor would say, "you mean you let your car drive through stoplights it doesn't see?? Are you insane?"

How'd I do?

- - - Updated - - -

could he be a troll?

You know I see this word a lot but I don't know what it means. Could somebody tell me what a troll is? I have only participated on this forum and one other (a Chevy Volt forum), so I'm not an expert at this at all. I have no idea why somebody would wonder if I was a troll, just because I'm critical of Tesla and drive my car in a way they personally wouldn't. This forum is for exactly this - discussing a cutting edge car with a new feature - how we use it and what we think of it. To my knowledge I'm behaving exactly as I should in this thread and on this forum.

 

[brianman]

I re-read that several times. I think you're asking what would the neighbor say next? The first line is me, bragging about my car. The second line is the neighbor, asking about stoplights. The third line is me answering that yes there are stoplights and the car doesn't see them. So you're asking for the fourth line - what would the neighbor say - is that right?

No, I was asking what you'd say next to the neighbor.

Let me try to clarify...

@Electricfan
Thought experiment. Suppose you have this exchange with your neighbor:

I love my new car. It has adaptive cruise control. I use it on my commute home every day. I don't even touch the brake or accelerator the whole way.

How many stoplights is that? Does the adaptive cruise control see and react to the stoplights?

It's like 7 stoplights, I take the ___ route. No, it doesn't see stoplights.

What would you say next?

I know what I'd say. Something along the lines of...

So you're leaving your car on cruise control running red lights on your way home? Don't you consider that dangerous?

 

[Krugerrand]

Could somebody tell me what a troll is?

Google is our friend.


Internet troll - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Electricfan]

Google is our friend.


Internet troll - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So somebody thinks my comments are deliberately made to upset people on this forum? No. I was asked what I was doing that I had to look up. I answered, that's it. Everybody thinks I'm crazy for reading a book while my car drives itself. Fine. You're all entitled to think it and say it - that's what the forum is for, right? Some of the comments got real personal though, and that's disappointing. But I'm beginning to be able to shrug those off, because I read so much of this forum I see lots of personal attacks against lots of people who say anything negative about Tesla. Makes it easier not to take them personally.

 

[BriansTesla]

It only bothered me a little bit that you were "Driving while reading" but what was truly astounding was your defending doing this by saying:

I agree, I mean who is going to buy the car for autopilot if they have to "keep both hands on the wheel and be ready to take over at any moment"? NOBODY. I didn't! If I had seen this disclaimer before buying I would have kept my 2013! Now that I have it, I'm going to use it as I intended. I lost more than $30k trading my 2013 for a 2015 for autopilot. No way I'm driving down the road with both hands on the wheel in autopilot mode. I mean, what the hell would even be the point of having autopilot on if you drove that way?

And this:

Why doesn't it, though? It should at least see a tire laying on the road in front of you. It can't be that hard to recognize. In my opinion they shouldn't have released it like it is. I hope in future versions it does these exact things you mention and at least beeps and tells you to take over, if it can't drive itself appropriately. I'm amazed no serious accidents have happened with it yet. Maybe I'll be the first. But they sold me a car that steers itself, and as far as I'm concerned that means it has the responsibility not to kill me.

Everyone is entitled to their own life and their own opinion but this is just....well.....stupid!

Unless you're a troll, in which case you got me.

 

[Todd Burch]

I'll let you in on an anecdote to show how dangerous what you're doing is.

I drive about 20 miles a day on I-64. It's well-marked, has wide lanes, and is fairly level.

For a month, I could consistently go the entire stretch on this 4-lane divided interstate without touching the wheel. But one day, about a week ago, a car put very dark skid marks that start parallel to the lane markings in the left lane and veer to the right lane. When I came across this stretch of pavement the other day, the camera chose to follow the skid marks and my car veered toward the right lane. I intervened, but if there hadn't been intervention I would've crossed into the right lane without question.

There was no beeping, no "take over" message, nothing. For the last few days, I've tested this same stretch and the car actually follows the skid marks and veers into the right lane every time. And every time, there is no beeping, no "take over" message--despite great visibility conditions for the camera (a nice flatly-lit cloudy day).

So a stretch of highway that otherwise behaves perfectly (and used to behave perfectly) now initiates an abrupt swerve into adjacent lanes.

Had you been reading your book in this area, you could very likely have been involved in a serious accident.

 

[MitchJi]

Tesla itself has emphasized this is beta software - a clear indication they don't think its good enough yet either. I'm hoping for a massive improvement in the software over the next year. In the meantime I'm using it as I want - its my car, my decision. I don't use it on back roads, or even 290 or other roads in Houston that aren't wide lanes and well marked. The beltway is the perfect place for it. So far its doing pretty well on the beltway. I wouldn't use it the way I am if I thought I was going to die, or kill someone else. Don't have a death wish at all. But I bought a car that Tesla said would steer itself, and I'm going to let it do that.

The Model S will control the brakes, acceleration, and steering, so the driver doesn't have to. Call that whatever you want. To me, its the same thing no matter what name you put on it. In court, if Tesla tries to argue "our car was in control of brakes, acceleration and steering at the time of the accident, but we're not responsible", well no judge or jury will buy it. But maybe I'm wrong. I think we're going to find out sooner or later.

You might "find out" by killing yourself or someone else. Or possibly by becoming an amputee or a paraplegic.

In any of those cases does it make any difference at all if a "judge or jury will buy it"?

If you are not concerned about your own safety you should at least be concerned about the safety of innocent victims, or the impact on your friends and family.

 

[Todd Burch]

+1, good post. I really think some here overreact to anything even slightly different from their mindset.

I personally wouldn't read a book while AP is on but I also personally wouldn't write some of the over the top responses to you doing so.

Oh my God, they're multiplying.

This is not a "mindset". This is not an "opinion." And it sure isn't overreacting either. This is the reality of the technology. If you don't have the ability to recognize its limitations, you shouldn't be using it. And you shouldn't be trivializing a blatant misuse of the technology that puts innocent lives in danger.

If you do not understand the technology (it sounds like both of you have limited understanding), then you have an even greater duty to heed the safety warnings.

 

[Plan B]

My phone - I was reading a book. (in Kindle app)

LMAO

 

[AnOutsider]

Guys, we can disagree while still remaining civil. There is no need for personal attacks.

 

[mikeash]

Some of the comments got real personal though, and that's disappointing.

You're putting other people's lives in danger for no good reason. That's far beyond simply being "disappointing."

Note: this is not a personal attack, it's a simple statement of fact.