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My evolving thoughts on autopilot

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Well said, OP!

Having had my S100D for 10 weeks now, I would say it took a good fortnight to learn to use AP competently and safely.

However, it is definitely all too easy to become complacent with Autopilot, mainly due to wishfully thinking that it is a Level 3 system (i.e. one which does not require constant supervision), rather than a Level 2.

We would all do well to regularly remind ourselves of its critical weaknesses:
  1. can fail to detect low or high trailers
  2. if leading vehicle moves aside at motorway speeds, it tends to completely ignore stationary or relatively slow moving vehicles up ahead
  3. occasional aggressive phantom braking due to shadows or random darker patterns in tarmac, causes annoyance and possible rear-ender
  4. prone to follow wrong lines at construction zone or exit
  5. AEB only slows car when crash deemed inevitable
  6. not designed to deal with crossing or oncoming traffic at all
... and periodically review the sobering results yielded to those who have tragically overestimated its capabilities, as it is not called the 'bleeding edge' of technology for no reason:

Gao Yaning, † 20 January 2016, Handan, Hebei, China
Tesla AP Fatality -- Gao Yaning, † 20 January 2016, Handan, Hebei, China.png

Tesla confirms 'Autopilot' engaged in fatal crash in China

Joshua Brown, † 7 May 2016, Williston, Florida, USA
Tesla-Autopilot-Crash-Williston-1024x591.jpg


Walter Huang, † 23 March 2018, Mountain View, California, USA
Tesla AP Fatality -- Walter Huang, † 23 March 2018, Mountain View, California, USA.png


Hence it behooves us to develop the iron habit of allowing *no distractions* when driving, so that we all continue to enjoy many happy and tranquil years in these undoubtedly great machines while waiting for the flaws to be ironed out.

[PS: I would not swap my Tesla for any other car currently available and aim to keep it >=20 years]
 
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Well said, OP!
...I would not swap my Tesla for any other car currently available and aim to keep it >=20 years]

Agree on not swapping for any other car currently available. But I expect that in well under 20 years Tesla will have a car so much better than today's cars that I'll be trading up, if I'm still alive and ambulatory. I expect to keep my Model 3 for 5 to 10 years, depending on how quickly the next new technology comes along.
 
For me backroads are a no go..
I'll need to remember this. I had the car brake check once pretty badly going under a bridge and was too rattled to remember how to report a bug. I really like autopilot and was considering paying for it after the trial, but until this issue is solved I'm probably done with it. People around my way drive too close behind to have a car brake so heavily for no reason.
what we do is simply drive with our right foot close to the gas pedal... this way you can override it very quickly.