Ideas To Help Prevent Auto Pilot Accidents...It's Time To Get Real

[wdolson]

Tesla has been tracking the number of miles driven with AP and without and have found that there are fewer accidents with AP on. Elon has also said that most AP accidents are from experienced AP users who get complacent.

And the OP said we all check e-mail while on AP. I don't. The most distracted I've ever been on AP was when I needed both hands to open a bottle of water. I only glanced away from the road for a second to grab the bottle. I'm on full alert of my surroundings when on AP. I know how stupid computers are.

I have thought from the beginning that calling it auto pilot was a bad idea. It should be called "driver's assist" or something like that until they are to full level 5 autonomous.

 

[Shock-On-T]

These four words apply to almost every aspect of life.

I only wish -- like child molesters and bank robbers -- we could start calling these people out; a wall of shame --- incentivize "stupid" to not be...

On the TMC splash page --- show photos, names, and the actions of these morons

Simply put, these idiots are -- at best, slowing, at worst, jeopardizing -- progress of society.

Problem is that all people are stupid some of the time.
It's not like there's a group of stupid people, and everyone else is perfect.

 

[The Duke]

Actually, I think there is a group of stupid people. I join it every morning and usually leave by the end of my first cup of coffee. There in lies the problem dam people will not stay with their group!

 

[malcolm]

"Stupid" is too strong a label and just allows us to ignore the problem.

"Complacent" is an improvement, but no one wants to admit to that either.

"Fallible" is better still because even individuals who are fully engaged in a task can misinterpret what they are sensing.

And on a familiar route, we can all drive on a personal "autopilot", arriving safely at work only to realise we have no detailed recall of the journey we have just made.

But our fallibility runs far deeper:

COMPUTERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS

And while we may not be at the stage of viewing AP as "your plastic pal who's fun to be with", there is always the ingrained tendency to visualize any mechanical system as the extension of the hand and any digital system as the extension of the mind.

One way you can jolt yourself out of this is to set a UI into a foreign language. Yes it's drastic but it is an immediate way to understand that the device in front of you is "not you", is "different" and may not be working with the same assumptions as yourself.

If you want to try this with a Model S, you can see the relevant Tab to use on page 106 of the manual. Start with a language which is reasonably familiar:

Pity there isn't a Jive setting:

 

[The Duke]

And on a familiar route, we can all drive on a personal "autopilot", arriving safely at work only to realise we have no detailed recall of the journey we have just made.

Try riding a motorcycle and lane splitting on your commute.
But you are correct for most car/truck commutes.