Shocked! Model 3 has no blind spot detection [Update: yes, it does]

[moorej999]

Reading your comments, I now question if I had the turn signal on or not. If I had the turn signal off and it did not beep then I understand why. However, even without the turn signal on, I really hope the car will beep if I have my turn signal off and I am about to smash into a car in my blind spot. I feel it did not in this case. I am sure Tesla can test this scenario as opposed to me almost getting killed again.

 

[ElectricLee]

If you turn on your blinker with a car next to you, the display turns red. If you start to move over, it beeps. If you keep moving over it will try to steer you back. If you force the car to hit the car next to you... it's kinda your fault at that point.

Yes, just learn how your new car works. Right on!

 

[moorej999]

Reading your comments, I now question if I had the turn signal on or not. If I had the turn signal off and it did not beep then I understand why. However, even without the turn signal on, I really hope the car will beep if I have my turn signal off and I am about to smash into a car in my blind spot. I feel it did not in this case. I am sure Tesla can test this scenario as opposed to me almost getting killed again.

Also note that I was on an off-ramp when this occurred, so autopilot / collision avoidance may not have had time to recognize that I was in a specific lane in the off-ramp. It would of needed to adjust my steering solely on the fact that I was about to hit another car.

 

[Knightshade]

I'm somewhat thinking that this problem could be taken care of with a future software update as well as the cross traffic backup warning. It seems possible to me.

As covered (exhaustively by this point) rear cross traffic alert systems typically use rear radar. Which Teslas physically do not have.

The intent is for the car to never need it- notice how when it auto-parks it backs into spots, so that it exits forward, not backward, upon leaving?

Backing into spots is demonstrably safer anyway for this reason (and most professional/fleet/commercial driving instruction tells you to park that way whenever possible)

 

[StellarRat]

As covered (exhaustively by this point) rear cross traffic alert systems typically use rear radar. Which Teslas physically do not have.

Where I live you can't legally park downtown facing out (don't ask me why or who's brilliant idea that was.) But, since the Tesla seems to smart enough to recognize a moving vehicle with just the camera aka no radar, it seems like it could at least try to let you know if someone is coming using the rear camera.

 

[Knightshade]

Where I live you can't legally park downtown facing out (don't ask me why or who's brilliant idea that was.)

Is that perpendicular spots, or angled spots? Seems every time this comes up and someone insists they can't park backward it turns out to be angled spots- where you don't need rear cross-traffic anyway since you aren't backing out into cross-traffic at all with angled spots, and it's not blind at 90 degrees like perp. parking is.

But, since the Tesla seems to smart enough to recognize a moving vehicle with just the camera aka no radar, it seems like it could at least try to let you know if someone is coming using the rear camera

I'm not sure with just a single rear-facing-only (albeit fairly wide angle) camera and no radar it can competently judge speed and distance of rear cross traffic to reliably do that... (if it could, why would everyone else be using radar back there to offer that feature?)

 

[StellarRat]

We don't have anything but angled spots in my town. It's almost all a one way grid downtown they're all slightly angled towards the direction of traffic. That makes it easier to pull into them.

 

[Eugr]

Where I live you can't legally park downtown facing out (don't ask me why or who's brilliant idea that was.) But, since the Tesla seems to smart enough to recognize a moving vehicle with just the camera aka no radar, it seems like it could at least try to let you know if someone is coming using the rear camera.

The rear view camera angle is not wide enough. By the time you can see a moving car in it, it’s already too close.

 

[Ludalicious]

Didnt read through all of it..... 1 classic shoulder check would if saved us all from 6 pages of fudd. Keep it classy and drive on

 

[Eugr]

As covered (exhaustively by this point) rear cross traffic alert systems typically use rear radar. Which Teslas physically do not have.

The intent is for the car to never need it- notice how when it auto-parks it backs into spots, so that it exits forward, not backward, upon leaving?

Backing into spots is demonstrably safer anyway for this reason (and most professional/fleet/commercial driving instruction tells you to park that way whenever possible)

Backing into a spot is not always an option. For instance, when shopping at Costco (or any other place where you have a lot of stuff to load, so frunk is not going to help). Putting a baby/toddler into a car seat is also easier when parked normally.

Also, it won’t help much when you end up parked between two large SUVs/trucks. How FSD is going to handle that, I wonder? Front cameras are not wide enough, and B-pillar cameras are too far back. I don’t think front radar is going to help either, as it’s aimed forward. Utlrasonic sensors are also fairly short range.

 

[groovidad]

I'm rather.....unconvinced about ability to truly use them while not "tak[ing] my eyes from the road in front of me", that has the scent of self-delusion about it. Certainly in the daytime.

The people that rely on them in place of actually checking blindspots scare the crap out of me that I'm sharing the road with them. They aren't anywhere near 100% reliable. Although it isn't the only reason someone might accidentally try to lane change over top of you, it is fairly easy to have dynamic relative movement between the vehicles that ends with you in the blindspot but not triggering those detectors.

I’ll stick by my original assertion. The mirror warnings are the standard ALL should adhere to.

 

[groovidad]

I'm rather.....unconvinced about ability to truly use them while not "tak[ing] my eyes from the road in front of me", that has the scent of self-delusion about it. Certainly in the daytime.

The people that rely on them in place of actually checking blindspots scare the crap out of me that I'm sharing the road with them. They aren't anywhere near 100% reliable. Although it isn't the only reason someone might accidentally try to lane change over top of you, it is fairly easy to have dynamic relative movement between the vehicles that ends with you in the blindspot but not triggering those detectors.

I have found BSI to be extremely beneficial . Regardless of your experience, I am a supporter of such. You may not find them beneficial for whatever reason, there is no doubt that they are an advancement in safety! I support their integration in all vehicle systems!

 

[groovidad]

You must not live in or around Los Angeles...

Obviously. Did you not look at my avatar??

 

[cwerdna]

Is that perpendicular spots, or angled spots? Seems every time this comes up and someone insists they can't park backward it turns out to be angled spots- where you don't need rear cross-traffic anyway since you aren't backing out into cross-traffic at all with angled spots, and it's not blind at 90 degrees like perp. parking is.

Daly City BART station as I posted at Backing into a public ChargePoint prohibits backing into spots. They're all perpendicular in that parking structure.

 

[cwerdna]

Obviously. Did you not look at my avatar??

I think his LA comment is related to MANY people there NOT signalling in advance of changing lanes.

I lived there for ~4.5 years and drove there for maybe 1.5 years besides sometimes taking trips down there. It's crazy. In the LA area, it's not uncommon that signalling == the other person will be a jerk and speed up to fill the gap. So, folks end up just changing lanes w/o signaling.

On one of my trips ages ago, when holding a phone to your ear while driving was still legal, I recall seeing a girl on the phone on the highway and made at least 4 or 5 lane changes in and out w/o signaling once.

One has to be much more aggressive driving down there (vs. the Bay Area) and one almost has to force one's way into a lane, esp. if trying to exit.

The people that rely on them in place of actually checking blindspots scare the crap out of me that I'm sharing the road with them. They aren't anywhere near 100% reliable

From Turn signal “discussion” and my reply afterward, it seems clear that CuriosG over there doesn't check blind spots at all.

 

[BZM3]

I almost hit someone today! This seems basic! I thought this was the safest car on the road!

huh? mine beeps like crazy if i try changing lanes when there is a car in adjacent lane. also the car on screen becomes red. sounds like you also didn't put your blinker on....

 

[cucubits]

huh? mine beeps like crazy if i try changing lanes when there is a car in adjacent lane. also the car on screen becomes red. sounds like you also didn't put your blinker on....

I think this is the problem. Very poor design choice by Tesla IMO.

Almost every other car with the blind spot detection we're used to in the mirrors, warns you BEFORE you try changing lanes. Tesla will only warn and intervene after you started making the move.

Also having to look in the mirror, over the shoulder and then back in the center screen and then back in the mirror... what were they thinking when they thought "yeah, this blind spot detection is a good idea, let's do this and save 50c by not adding lights to the mirrors"

 

[BZM3]

I think this is the problem. Very poor design choice by Tesla IMO.

Almost every other car with the blind spot detection we're used to in the mirrors, warns you BEFORE you try changing lanes. Tesla will only warn and intervene after you started making the move.

Also having to look in the mirror, over the shoulder and then back in the center screen and then back in the mirror... what were they thinking when they thought "yeah, this blind spot detection is a good idea, let's do this and save 50c by not adding lights to the mirrors"

i kind of disagree, i don't feel like its a loss. if you glance at the screen before even putting your blinker on, and see a gray car sitting next to you.. don't switch lanes..

either way, if you put your blinker on as you always should, you will immediately be notified if there is a car in your blind spot. the lane will turn bright red and so will the adjacent car. you do not already need to have started changing lanes.

so to break it down....

STEP 1: Turn your blinker on. If there is a bunch of red showing up on your monitor? Don't switch lanes..
STEP 2: if you are switching lanes and there is a car in your blind spot. you will be notified...

what part am i missing?

 

[Octo]

what part am i missing?

The parts that you are missing are:

1. Looking at the center screen is counterintuitive when changing lanes

2. The Model 3 as of August 2019 doesn’t have object detection good enough to rely on it. Mine often thinks another car is two lanes over, even though it’s right next to the Model 3. Most of the time the other car teleports into the correct lane eventuallty but if the FSD computer thinks it’s two lanes over when I start a lane change, it won’t warn me.

3. People are used to reliable blind spot warnings with simple warning lights in the mirrors. If other brands have been able to do this reliably for years, it’s not unreasonable to expect the same level or better from a Tesla where the CEO is on record proclaiming they’ll be robotaxis soon.

 

[tvad]

Almost every other car with the blind spot detection we're used to in the mirrors, warns you BEFORE you try changing lanes.

Yes. I will add that our other car's mirror-based blind spot warning system flashes at various rates depending on whether a car is approaching at a greater rate, or is in the blind spot...and the system is constantly monitoring and providing visual feedback regardless of whether I have engaged the turn indicator. The system works very well.