Collision Avoidance

[Johnr9q]

I have a 2022 Model 3 without Full Self Driving. I have installed all the latest updates. I was watching a video that showed cars, like mine, avoiding accidents by automatically steering away from cars coming from the side or from hitting a barrier from the side. My Forward collision avoidance works fine but, I have had a number of situations like I described in the video where, if I hadn't manually steered away from the object, I would have hit it. Does my vehicle have a problem or is this feature only available on Full Self Driving cars?

 

[jjrandorin]

The active safety features available on your vehicle, according to the manual from tesla:

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Model 3 Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn about Collision Avoidance Assist and its specifications.

www.tesla.com

Collision Avoidance Assist​

The following collision avoidance features are designed to increase the safety of you and your passengers:

• Forward Collision Warning - provides visual and audible warnings in situations when Model 3 detects that there is a high risk of a frontal collision (see Forward Collision Warning).
• Automatic Emergency Braking - automatically applies braking to reduce the impact of a frontal collision (see Automatic Emergency Braking).
• Obstacle-Aware Acceleration - reduces acceleration if Model 3 detects an object in its immediate driving path (see Obstacle-Aware Acceleration).

CAUTION
Ensure all cameras and sensors are clean. Dirty cameras and sensors, as well as environmental conditions such as rain and faded lane markings, can affect performance.
Warning
Forward Collision Warning is for guidance purposes only and is not a substitute for attentive driving and sound judgment. Keep your eyes on the road when driving and never depend on Forward Collision Warning to warn you of a potential collision. Several factors can reduce or impair performance, causing either unnecessary, invalid, inaccurate, or missed warnings. Depending on Forward Collision Warning to warn you of a potential collision can result in serious injury or death.
Warning
Automatic Emergency Braking is not designed to prevent all collisions. In certain situations, it can minimize the impact of a frontal collision by attempting to reduce your driving speed. Depending on Automatic Emergency Braking to avoid a collision can result in serious injury or death.
Warning
Obstacle-Aware Acceleration is not designed to prevent a collision. In certain situations, it can minimize the impact of a collision. Depending on Obstacle-Aware Acceleration to avoid a collision can result in serious injury or death.

Forward Collision Warning​

Model 3 monitors the area in front of it for the presence of an object such as a vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian. If a collision is considered likely unless you take immediate corrective action, Forward Collision Warning is designed to sound a chime and highlight the vehicle in front of you in red on the touchscreen. If this happens, TAKE IMMEDIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION!

Warnings cancel automatically when the risk of a collision has been reduced (for example, you have decelerated or stopped Model 3, or the object in front of your vehicle has moved out of your driving path).
If immediate action is not taken when Model 3 issues a Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking (if enabled) may automatically apply the brakes if a collision is considered imminent (see Automatic Emergency Braking).
By default, Forward Collision Warning is turned on. To turn it off or adjust its sensitivity, touch Controls > Autopilot > Forward Collision Warning. Instead of the default warning level of Medium, you can turn the warning Off, or you can choose to be warned Late or Early.
Note
Your chosen setting for Forward Collision Warning is retained until you manually change it.
Warning
The camera(s) and sensors associated with Forward Collision Warning are designed to monitor an approximate area of up to 525 feet (160 meters) in your driving path. The area being monitored by Forward Collision Warning can be adversely affected by road and weather conditions. Use appropriate caution when driving.
Warning
Forward Collision Warning is designed only to provide visual and audible alerts. It does not attempt to apply the brakes or decelerate Model 3. When seeing and/or hearing a warning, it is the driver's responsibility to take immediate corrective action.
Warning
Forward Collision Warning may provide a warning in situations where the likelihood of collision may not exist. Stay alert and always pay attention to the area in front of Model 3 so you can anticipate whether any action is required.
Forward Collision Warning operates only when driving between approximately 3 mph (5 km/h) and 90 mph (150 km/h).
Warning
Forward Collision Warning does not provide a warning when the driver is already applying the brake.

Automatic Emergency Braking​

Model 3 is designed to determine the distance from a detected object traveling in front of it. When a frontal collision is considered unavoidable, Automatic Emergency Braking is designed to apply the brakes to reduce the vehicle's speed and therefore, the severity of the impact. The amount of speed that is reduced depends on many factors, including driving speed and environment.
When Automatic Emergency Braking applies the brakes, the touchscreen displays a visual warning and sounds a chime. You may also notice abrupt downward movement of the brake pedal. The brake lights turn on to alert other road users that you are slowing down.

Automatic Emergency Braking operates only when driving between approximately 3 mph (5 km/h) and 90 mph (150 km/h).
Automatic Emergency Braking does not apply the brakes, or stops applying the brakes, when:

• You turn the steering wheel sharply.
• You press and release the brake pedal while Automatic Emergency Braking is applying the brakes.
• You accelerate hard while Automatic Emergency Braking is applying the brakes.
• The vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian is no longer detected ahead.

Automatic Emergency Braking is always enabled when you start Model 3. To disable it for your current drive, touch Controls > Autopilot > Automatic Emergency Braking.
Warning
It is strongly recommended that you do not disable Automatic Emergency Braking. If you disable it, Model 3 does not automatically apply the brakes in situations where a collision is considered likely.
Warning
Automatic Emergency Braking is designed to reduce the severity of an impact. It is not designed to avoid a collision.
Warning
Several factors can affect the performance of Automatic Emergency Braking, causing either no braking or inappropriate or untimely braking, such as when a vehicle is partially in the path of travel or there is road debris. It is the driver’s responsibility to drive safely and remain in control of the vehicle at all times. Never depend on Automatic Emergency Braking to avoid or reduce the impact of a collision.
Warning
Automatic Emergency Braking is designed to reduce the impact of frontal collisions only and does not function when Model 3 is in Reverse.
Warning
Automatic Emergency Braking is not a substitute for maintaining a safe traveling distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
Warning
The brake pedal moves downward abruptly during automatic braking events. Always ensure that the brake pedal can move freely. Do not place material under or on top of the driver’s floor mat (including an additional mat) and always ensure that the driver’s floor mat is properly secured. Failure to do so can impede the ability of the brake pedal to move freely.

Obstacle-Aware Acceleration​

Obstacle-Aware Acceleration is designed to reduce the impact of a collision by reducing motor torque and in some cases applying the brakes, if Model 3 detects an object in its driving path. The touchscreen displays a visual warning and sounds a chime when the brakes are automatically applied. For example, Model 3, while parked in front of a closed garage door with Drive engaged, detects that you have pressed hard on the accelerator pedal. Although Model 3 still accelerates and hits the garage door, the reduced torque may result in less damage.
Obstacle-Aware Acceleration is designed to operate only when all of these conditions are simultaneously met:

• Drive or Reverse is engaged.
• Model 3 is stopped or traveling less than 10 mph (16 km/h).
• Model 3 detects an object in its immediate driving path.

To disable Obstacle-Aware Acceleration, touch Controls > Autopilot > Obstacle-Aware Acceleration.
Warning
Obstacle-Aware Acceleration is designed to reduce the severity of an impact. It is not designed to avoid a collision.
Warning
Obstacle-Aware Acceleration may not limit torque in all situations. Several factors, including environmental conditions, distance from an obstacle, and a driver's actions, can limit, delay, or inhibit Obstacle-Aware Acceleration.
Warning
Obstacle-Aware Acceleration may not limit torque when performing a sharp turn, such as into a parking space.
Warning
Do not rely on Obstacle-Aware Acceleration to control acceleration or to avoid, or limit, the severity of a collision, and do not attempt to test Obstacle-Aware Acceleration. Doing so can result in serious property damage, injury, or death.
Warning
Several factors can affect the performance of Obstacle-Aware Acceleration, causing an inappropriate or untimely reduction in motor torque. It is the driver's responsibility to drive safely and remain in control of Model 3 at all times.

Limitations and Inaccuracies​

Collision Avoidance features cannot always detect all objects, vehicles, bikes, or pedestrians, and you may experience unnecessary, inaccurate, invalid, or missed warnings for many reasons, particularly if:

• The road has sharp curves.
• Visibility is poor (due to heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.).
• Bright light (such as from oncoming headlights or direct sunlight) is interfering with the view of the camera(s).
• The camera or radar sensor (if equipped) is obstructed (dirty, covered, fogged over, covered by a sticker, etc.).
• One or more of the ultrasonic sensors is damaged, dirty, or obstructed (such as by mud, ice, or snow, or by a vehicle bra, excessive paint, or adhesive products such as wraps, stickers, rubber coating, etc.).
• Weather conditions (heavy rain, snow, fog, or extremely hot or cold temperatures) are interfering with sensor operation.
• The sensors are affected by other electrical equipment or devices that generate ultrasonic waves.

Warning
The limitations previously described do not represent an exhaustive list of situations that may interfere with proper operation of Collision Avoidance Assist features. These features may fail to provide their intended function for many other reasons. It is the driver’s responsibility to avoid collisions by staying alert, paying attention, and taking corrective action as early as possible.
CAUTION
If a fault occurs with a Collision Avoidance Assist feature, Model 3 displays an alert. Contact Tesla Service.

 

[gearchruncher]

I have had a number of situations like I described in the video where, if I hadn't manually steered away from the object, I would have hit it.

Just because there is a video of it, don't always believe that it really did it, or that it is reliable. There are also videos of "Full Self Driving" going right into a barrier.

Also, almost all of Tesla's safety stuff is meant to only react at the absolute final moment and minimize damage, not fully avoid it. Your belief it would have hit may not be accurate, and the car could be right that there was no reason to move.

 

[jackmott]

Yeah your car as equipped may be able to avoid some accidents, but its all machine learning based stuff which means understanding how and when and why it activates is very unpredictable. The times you think the car would have hit something, maybe it wouldn't! Maybe it would. I once saw an approaching wide load in the oncoming lane, so started to move over into the shoulder a bit to make room, and the car started resisting me and beeping because it was thinking I was leaving my lane on accident. great.

 

[Ren.OG]

it was thinking I was leaving my lane on accident

This is super annoying, happened to me once while merging lanes. Most likely a glitch cuz I haven't been able to reproduce it.
I've turned most safety features off, they are there for bad/inattentive drivers.

As for OP's question, FSD does not provide additional safety features so your car is the same in that regard.

 

[gearchruncher]

I've turned most safety features off, they are there for bad/inattentive drivers.

As long as you agree 97.8% of drivers are bad/inattentive

The issue really is that 99% of drivers are very attentive 99% of the time. These systems are there for when humans do human things and get distracted, and are there to catch us the 1% of the time. If you believe you have never been distracted as a driver, then you're a "bad driver" in the sense that you are over-estimating your skills, even if they are well above average.

That being said, systems which do not understand intent will always have some false positives. I consider myself a good driver because I leave the safety stuff on, but I consider immediately when it triggers if I know why. FCW beeps at me as I come up on a slower car and am changing lanes? Yep, it does that. Beeps when I'm looking at the mirror to deciding to change lanes? WHOA- what is in front of me!?

 

[tm1v2]

I'm generally with @gearchruncher on this. I leave AEB, FCW, and LDW on most of the time. They do get things wrong occasionally but I think they're more likely to prevent or lessen a wreck than cause one. I already wrecked a car once in my life from distraction, which very likely would have been prevented by FCW and/or AEB. (Such systems didn't exist yet then, or at least not on anything below top-line luxury cars.)

LKA I leave disabled though because of exactly what @jackmott experienced - I don't ever want the car fighting my steering inputs. Any steering input I give the car is deliberate, I can't think of any time in all my years of driving where it would've been helpful for a car to resist my steering input.

Now if I'm tearing up a twisty back road, or driving through a blizzard, or something else very intense where I am 100% highly focused...I will turn all that stuff off. It's just distractions then and more likely to get in the way than help. But that's not my every day driving. (Okay maybe once a week for shredding some twisties. )

 

[Ren.OG]

The issue really is that 99% of drivers are very attentive 99% of the time.

Nah you're right. My main concern is not having the freedom to maneuver the way I need to when I need to if there is an emergency event.
I would hate to fight the computer during an emergency.

 

[PianoAl]

I would like it to be more active. For example, my wife recently hit a pole in a parking lot. It's not clear why she didn't respond to the warning beeps. I think she ignored them because the car always beeps once or twice while backing into the garage.

If the car had applied the brakes, we'd have avoided the $4,500 damage and major inconveniences.