Driving on Autopilot and coming up on slower cars in adjacent lanes

[unpollo2]

when coming up on slower cars in adjacent lanes i notice that sometimes the car is over the line into my lane a little but the autopilot does not adjust to slow down or swerve a little. i typically have to take control. anyone else have similar experiences?

maybe i am taking over too soon?

 

[Haxster]

You are not alone on this behavior.

The car seems to try to center itself in a lane regardless of what it's next to. And worse, in a situation like you described, it can suddenly brake very hard when approaching a slower car in an adjacent lane...even when it's not over the line. This is even more common after an automatic lane change.

AP2 is still not quite there, but at least it's less likely to kill you than it was when first released.
So... keep your eyes on the road, your hands ready to yank the steering wheel, and your right foot near the pedals.

 

[Need]

It is not that common that the car will be over the line, but coming up next to a semi is very common. Most of the time it is too close for comfort for me, so I just turn off AP and take control or switch lane. I am not going to play chicken.

 

[Brian's ReX]

I do wish (and my wife, even more so!) that Tesla would address the 'lane centering' in AP. Specifically when this situation happens (adjacent car near/over line - or a semi - which can rattle the nerves of passengers). It would be nice if my X would just adjust ever so slightly away from the encroaching vehicle. Lane centering when conditions are good is just fine.

I am somewhat confident that AP would keep my vehicle from coming in contact with adjacent vehicles, but the apparent tolerances do cause alarm. I admit that I do take over, rather than put it to the 'actual' test!

I gave my Mod3 to my nephew, and am trying to find time for the 2 of us to find a stretch of 2+ lane freeway/highway that is clear of traffic (I hear chuckling as I type ) so we can do some testing. The plan is that one of us will be on AP, and the other will do a slow run over the line into the AP lane to see what AP actually does. Then, if it behaves as I hope, we will do a quicker jolt over the line (being careful, of course) to see what that does to AP.

I wasn't able to find a thread that mentions this unofficial 'test'... so if anyone knows of one, please let me know!

So... keep your eyes on the road, your hands ready to yank the steering wheel, and your right foot near the pedals.

Yes!! ^^ This!

 

[Haxster]

and am trying to find time for the 2 of us to find a stretch of 2+ lane freeway/highway that is clear of traffic (I hear chuckling as I type ) so we can do some testing.

How about just after dawn on a weekend?

AP2 also seems unaware about driving in someones' blind spot, moving when someone is in yours, a motorcycle wants to lane split (actually legal in CA!) or driving alongside a big rig or distracted driver on a curve. Scary stuff.

 

[rush6410]

AP2 also seems unaware about driving in someones' blind spot, moving when someone is in yours, a motorcycle wants to lane split (actually legal in CA!) or driving alongside a big rig or distracted driver on a curve. Scary stuff.

I would consider that a corner case and probably not very high on the priority list.

 

[Haxster]

I would consider that a corner case and probably not very high on the priority list.

I'd argue that these fall into the "defensive driving" category and, at least in the crowded Bay Area with many incompetent drivers, are a source of many highway accidents.

 

[UncaNed]

It should make a little more clearance for adjacent traffic instead of centering in the lane regardless.

 

[ewoodrick]

I believe that the reality of this is that the car indeed see the other car and determined if there is clearance to pass.
It's the human that's the wrong part of the puzzle. We think that the car is too close, when it is actually a safe distance.
It's the same as the many times that you pit on the brakes, because you swear the car isn't going to stop in time.

I had a lane line rider today, I was about to override, but the car made it through safely.

Also remember that pulling to the side in these cases can be just as dangerous, especially if there is a car on your other side

 

[rush6410]

I believe that the reality of this is that the car indeed see the other car and determined if there is clearance to pass.
It's the human that's the wrong part of the puzzle. We think that the car is too close, when it is actually a safe distance.
It's the same as the many times that you pit on the brakes, because you swear the car isn't going to stop in time.

I had a lane line rider today, I was about to override, but the car made it through safely.

Also remember that pulling to the side in these cases can be just as dangerous, especially if there is a car on your other side

I totally agree. I was going to type something similar, but, you summed it up well.

It is important to remember that the car will not drive like you. You need to learn how the car will respond to specific scenarios and monitor that it responds consistently. That way you know when to intervene. The car will be able to handle the described scenario better than a human. There are several youtube videos showing how the car maneuvered away from lane cutters where the driver would have not been able to negotiate and would have resulted in an accident. I am not saying that you need to have blind faith in AP. But, learn how it will respond to it's environment. You will gain confidence over time and allow it to do it's thing.

 

[teethdood]

I would also add center dividers/barriers to the list of things to adjust slightly away from. I get hella scared especially in curves around the center barriers, literally inches away. 80MPH into curves 12 inches away...woowee

 

[bayx]

when coming up on slower cars in adjacent lanes i notice that sometimes the car is over the line into my lane a little but the autopilot does not adjust to slow down or swerve a little. i typically have to take control. anyone else have similar experiences?

maybe i am taking over too soon?

Yup, and I always take over whenever I spot this...as others already mentioned, eyes on the road at all times!

I wish there was a regular cruise mode instead of adaptive cruise because the car sometimes stops suddenly on regular roads if there are cars parked on the street in your lane, scary!

 

[jboy210]

I believe that the reality of this is that the car indeed see the other car and determined if there is clearance to pass.
It's the human that's the wrong part of the puzzle. We think that the car is too close, when it is actually a safe distance.
It's the same as the many times that you pit on the brakes, because you swear the car isn't going to stop in time.

I had a lane line rider today, I was about to override, but the car made it through safely.

Also remember that pulling to the side in these cases can be just as dangerous, especially if there is a car on your other side

Agree. Especially with semis I see people unwilling to drive down the center of their clear lane when there is a semi to their right. As a result, they end up hugging the left line, which causes the car in the lane left of them to hug their left line, which ... If you prefer, you can substitute concrete construction barrier for semi. I see this one on 237 and 680 all the time.

I don't know how we get around this tendency, but as pogo said, "we have met the enemy, and he is us".

 

[D-D-L]

I do wish (and my wife, even more so!) that Tesla would address the 'lane centering' in AP. Specifically when this situation happens (adjacent car near/over line - or a semi - which can rattle the nerves of passengers). It would be nice if my X would just adjust ever so slightly away from the encroaching vehicle. Lane centering when conditions are good is just fine.

I am somewhat confident that AP would keep my vehicle from coming in contact with adjacent vehicles, but the apparent tolerances do cause alarm. I admit that I do take over, rather than put it to the 'actual' test!

I gave my Mod3 to my nephew, and am trying to find time for the 2 of us to find a stretch of 2+ lane freeway/highway that is clear of traffic (I hear chuckling as I type ) so we can do some testing. The plan is that one of us will be on AP, and the other will do a slow run over the line into the AP lane to see what AP actually does. Then, if it behaves as I hope, we will do a quicker jolt over the line (being careful, of course) to see what that does to AP.

I wasn't able to find a thread that mentions this unofficial 'test'... so if anyone knows of one, please let me know!



Yes!! ^^ This!

Did you ever perform this test? If so please share the results. Thanks!

 

[Brian's ReX]

Not yet, unfortunately! It's still on my 'to-do' list, and as soon as we're able, I'll post my results.

As others have stated, it's proving difficult to find areas of highway that are not constantly hindered by terrible traffic! When we do this, I'd prefer to be as safe as possible and not hinder others.

What ever happened to the days when we could sneak out of our parent's house at 2am, run to the interstate, and play football?!? We could get a few scores in before yelling "CAR!" and running to the side of the freeway to avoid getting caught! Now, at 2am, it's non-stop traffic!

The good ole days!

 

[unpollo2]

i have the latest Autopilot and this just happened last week. the swerving was ALL ME no Autopilot intervention at all. if i had not intervened there definitely would have been a collision.

Autopilot needs to take into consideration trying to pass slower cars in adjacent lanes and also curves!

 

[Brian's ReX]

the swerving was ALL ME no Autopilot intervention at all. if i had not intervened there definitely would have been a collision.

While I would have definitely intervened as well... I can't help but wonder if the AP tolerances are just that much higher than us humans. In other words, would AP have taken steps to keep your vehicle from actually hitting the encroaching vehicle if you hadn't taken over? Maybe, just maybe, AP was fully aware, and was waiting until the encroaching vehicle was a few inches closer before taking action?

IF that is the case... I'm not sure I would be comfortable waiting for AP to take over! Good job avoiding the accident!

 

[Tam]

...would AP have taken steps to keep your vehicle from actually hitting the encroaching vehicle if you hadn't taken over?...

Ideally, in this case, the system should have issued a "Side Collision Warning" alarm and automatically swerved away from the encroaching vehicle.

The way Tesla works is: drivers don't know when it won't work so they have to be attentive at all time.

It is a mistake to assume that the system consistently works all the time and wait for it to react. That might be too late!

 

[Jonathantuba]

I tend to find my autopilot is a bit too nervous. If car in adjacent lane starts moving towards my lane without crossing the line Autopilot starts braking. I am sure Autopilot would have braked on my car in that situation. I suggest you ask your SC to make adjustments to increase the sensitivity of system.

 

[jboy210]

While I would have definitely intervened as well... I can't help but wonder if the AP tolerances are just that much higher than us humans. In other words, would AP have taken steps to keep your vehicle from actually hitting the encroaching vehicle if you hadn't taken over? Maybe, just maybe, AP was fully aware, and was waiting until the encroaching vehicle was a few inches closer before taking action?

I do believe this is the case. AP will do it's best to stay centered in the lane until a vehicle gets very close to encroaching. I find I am a bit uncomfortable when I am in the left lane and there is no shoulder, just a concrete k-rail on the left. But if I glance down at the autopilot and side mirrors I am perfectly centered in the lane, even when the road bends

I have also had it take action when a vehicle encroaches in my lane. As when you are driving down the center lane and some idiot moves into you your lane from the right. In this case, AP detect the intruder and momentarily hit the brakes to create an opening.