No longer check blindspot?

[dckiwi]

This isn't quite an AP/FSD topic, but I wasn't sure where else to put it.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but in the 30 years I've been driving I have become accustomed to *always* checking my blind spot (in addition to the side mirror) before changing lanes. This habit continued after I purchased my Model 3.

However, with recent improvements to the AP 2.0+ driving visualizations and the lane departure warnings, I find that I'm able to skip the blind spot check and just change lanes based on the mirror + the screen. This is a big habit for me to break! Anyone else given up this habit?

 

[thewishmaster]

The idea of changing lanes without manually checking what's behind or next to me is pretty insane to me at this stage. I have my mirrors adjusted so that I can check them and be fairly confident there's nothing near me when I'm driving, and I turn my head when NoA decides to change lanes to make sure there's no car in the process of changing into the next lane.

 

[Tam]

...Anyone else given up this habit?

Autopilot is still in beta.

It works so well now but driver is still responsible if something goes wrong.

 

[Carnage-]

I've developed a tenancy to check my blind spot /more/ thoroughly. Firstly, I can semi rely on auto pilot keeping the car in lane and at an appropriate speed so slightly more time looking behind seems fine. Secondly, NoA EU edition bails on so many lane changes I want to know exactly what the situation is in case I need to take over swiftly.

 

[diplomat33]

I find the side mirrors (if adjusted properly) + the screen visualizations are perfectly good for blind spots. I have no trouble at all checking my blind spots with them. And it is completely reliable. Much safer than checking over your shoulder IMO.

 

[jkoya]

I'm in the "Yes! Old habits die hard" category....

 

[huangm777]

I am not great at looking at my blind spot, and have had a few close calls because of it. Even though my current car, a Prius Prime, has blind spot indicators on the mirror, it only helped some. I’m currently waiting for my SR+ to come in, but I’ve got no intention of not doing things the manual way if I can help it. The new tech is great but I don’t want to lose those skills altogether. After all not every car I will drive in the future will have those features, especially rentals.

 

[Routybouty]

I check all three now, sight, mirrors and screen.

 

[Big Earl]

Your side mirror is supposed to point into the blind spot. I almost never need to look over my shoulder because that’s what the mirrors are for.

 

[KiddFunkadelic]

It should be noted that if the side cameras are blocked your display won't show the traffic in your blind spot. I figured this out last year driving to work in a snow storm when the cameras became obstructed w/ snow/slush. I wouldn't solely trust just the display.

 

[eli_]

The idea that the 3D driving visualization is supposed to be Tesla's version of a blind spot monitor is such a joke. Vehicles frequently fail to be displayed when they're directly adjacent to your car, which is when you need it most. Probably because they totally fill the camera frame and the vision network can't see the edges of the car. Same goes with long vehicles that stretch across multiple cameras. I'm the blind spot monitor for Autopilot instead of the other way around.

 

[Rogue one]

I check my blind spots but I have to admit the car is Very good at it at night it’s sometimes better than me. I was driving a 3 lane interstate in the seventeenth lane using Navigate on autopilot it indicated it was merging left to pass slower traffic. I checked the blind spot and saw it as clear but my car saw a car in that lane, I though It has made a mistake, turns out a car was in that lane with no lights... I missed it but the car saw it no problem.

 

[huangm777]

I check my blind spots but I have to admit the car is Very good at it at night it’s sometimes better than me. I was driving a 3 lane interstate in the seventeenth lane using Navigate on autopilot it indicated it was merging left to pass slower traffic. I checked the blind spot and saw it as clear but my car saw a car in that lane, I though It has made a mistake, turns out a car was in that lane with no lights... I missed it but the car saw it no problem.

I think this is the ideal use for something like blind spot monitors. It should be a supplement rather than a replacement for looking at blind spots manually. Tech should be used to do things that humans don’t do as well; in this example it made you safer since it could detect a car without its headlights on while your naked eye couldn’t.

 

[DrDabbles]

This poll is missing the most important answer. "Yes, it would be negligent to change lanes without looking". Seriously. Anybody changing lanes and not looking should not have their driving license. I watched someone get clipped by a driver changing lanes without looking, and the car that got hit skid off the road, through a rail, and off the side of a bridge. Don't be an idiot. I don't particularly care if you kill yourself being a fool on the road, but hurting other people is unacceptable.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

This poll is missing the most important answer. "Yes, it would be negligent to change lanes without looking". Seriously. Anybody changing lanes and not looking should not have their driving license. I watched someone get clipped by a driver changing lanes without looking, and the car that got hit skid off the road, through a rail, and off the side of a bridge. Don't be an idiot. I don't particularly care if you kill yourself being a fool on the road, but hurting other people is unacceptable.

I thought the same thing when I first read it.

But, the OP's is only talking about the double check of looking over the shoulder or checking the screen.

It would probably be better if the person simply listed out all the possible combinations.

For me person in my Model 3 I always check the mirrors, and look over my shoulder. I know the shoulder thing is pointless with well adjusted mirrors, but I just have trust issues. I like double checking things.

I've tried checking the screen, but I just can't train myself to do it. Plus it doesn't always pick up the car next to me.

I'd vastly prefer a blindspot monitoring display in the mirrors like my other vehicles.

It especially helps at night when the car in my blindspot doesn't have their lights on.

 

[DrDabbles]

For me person in my Model 3 I always check the mirrors, and look over my shoulder. I know the shoulder thing is pointless with well adjusted mirrors, but I just have trust issues. I like double checking things.

Even with well adjusted mirrors, I always take that extra second to turn my head and look. I ride a motorcycle, so I'm very used to just taking an extra second or two to figure out what everybody else is doing before making a move. Having trust issues in traffic is a good thing.

I'd vastly prefer a blindspot monitoring display in the mirrors like my other vehicles.

Ugh. I know Tesla is doing the whole "The car will drive itself one day" thing, so they aren't adding human convenience features, but this really grates on my nerves. If they did build a reliable blind spot detection system, you'd still have to look at the screen, and not where the car is going to be or who else might be approaching that space. Having a small LED on each mirror would have added basically zero cost, called peoples attention to the correct location to begin with, and... sigh. This could have been implemented so much better.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

Ugh. I know Tesla is doing the whole "The car will drive itself one day" thing, so they aren't adding human convenience features, but this really grates on my nerves. If they did build a reliable blind spot detection system, you'd still have to look at the screen, and not where the car is going to be or who else might be approaching that space. Having a small LED on each mirror would have added basically zero cost, called peoples attention to the correct location to begin with, and... sigh. This could have been implemented so much better.

What I find really frustrating is even with "The car will drive itself one day" it would have been a good idea to add redundancy to the side monitoring system. Where they could use the systems that were already on the market, and feed the signals into the ADAS system.

That way the car itself had visual sensors plus radar for the side monitoring.

 

[boonedocks]

I posted yes but not for the “old habits” part. If a car is on the display it is actually too close to change lanes. There are many instances of cars being too close to not “cut them off” and not be on the display.

 

[InsanePath]

I wasn't checking mine but then I switched lanes with AP on and there was a car there but luckily that person was paying attention. As others have stated here it is in beta so don't trust it 100%. I always look now.

 

[Soda Popinski]

I usually drive with the rear camera on. I've noticed times there was a car in my blind spot visible on camera, but not on the vector space view. Because of that, I don't trust the render, but will glance at it first to see if I'll bother trying to change lanes. If there's a car there, I won't. If there isn't, I'll look at the cam or over my shoulder and mirrors.

Honestly, I feel using the rear cam is safer than looking over my shoulder, as I can't see if someone brakes hard in front of me when I'm doing my shoulder check. With the cam view, I can still see forward enough with my peripheral vision.