HW3 AP detecting & reacting to flashing "signal ahead" signs as yellow traffic lights

[FalconFour]

Background: I've got a 2018 Model 3 with FSD and HW3 retrofit since Feb 2020.

These things:

Anything that contains even a potentially flashing warning light seems to be misclassified, and reacted to, as a full-fledged traffic light. Railroad crossings (lights), pedestrian crossing (lights), and most prevalent, the "there's a traffic signal ahead" signs with alternating flashing yellow lights (like a hybrid of the above two examples). Completely glitches the thing out. Often tries abruptly slowing down and jerking back and forth as the lights alternate. Override it with the go-pedal and it usually figures it out, but often just treats it as a "green light" and it increasingly seems like Tesla isn't collecting any data from this or working to fix it...

Surprised to not find a thread on this either, as it's been a problem since traffic light detection came around and I'd hoped it would improve as Tesla said they collect data and refine this feature.

 

[Ludalicious]

Yes my vehicle stops at them too. I was thinking it was due to my vehicle having the older camera's. But not too sure when the newer Teslas came with better color camera's. My vehicle is also a retrofit, 2017 Build Date

 

[powertoold]

I don't think it's a misidentification. Essentially all flashing traffic controls will show up as a traffic light in the visualization. However, the car doesn't respond to these lights in a user-friendly way.

 

[FalconFour]

I don't think it's a misidentification. Essentially all flashing traffic controls will show up as a traffic light in the visualization. However, the car doesn't respond to these lights in a user-friendly way.

It legit seems like a misclassification, as the car reacts identically to it being a traffic signal (green/yellow/red). Which is to say: predictably erratic and chaotic, as I'd expect from a ML system getting erratic input like that. It slows as if it's approaching a stale yellow when the alternating flashing lights are yellow, and jerks back to normal for brief periods while the flashing lights alternate, with the "stopping at traffic control" warning blipping on and off the screen in time with the detection.

I worry that Tesla only trained this on positive IDs of traffic lights, but never trained it on negative IDs - "this looks similar but it isn't a traffic light".

 

[J1mbo]

I thought they had trained it to recognise crossings and was mildly impressed when it slowed for a zebra crossing. Haven't been near any school warning lights yet.

It doesn't seem to react to flashing lights on vehicles, so there's that.

 

[LowlyOilBurner]

Yeah, this is something that needs to be fixed. Very annoying. The car slowing/stopping happens at railroad crossings sometimes too.

 

[_jal_]

In Chicago there's a highway with a train track in the middle. My car will react to the train control lights the same way ... while driving on the highway! So if the light is yellow or red, you get phantom braking at highway speeds. Very unsafe

 

[agtdDelirium]

I just noticed this on a local two-lane highway here in Colorado with deer crossing warning signs. In the fall, yellow flashing warning lights are turned on. A 60 mph highway with no map data to indicate a traffic signal for miles suddenly causes the car to slam on the brakes just as it passes the flashing sign. Very disconcerting and dangerous with tailgaters.

Unfortunately, this again makes me realize how "alpha" this software is and still how far we are from real FSD.