[UPDATED] 2 die in Tesla crash - NHTSA reports driver seat occupied

[Cheburashka]

so this video shows how they are defeating this......they need to enable to driver camera internally ASAP to track driver and eye movements etc

Wouldn't help. Only the 3/Y has the camera. The S/X do not.

The camera was never really meant for driver monitoring to begin with, it was meant to record passengers who are using the Tesla Network robotaxi service.

 

[Padelford]

It’s going to be easy to add the driver seat airbag weight sensor to the AP interlock chain.

 

[Dan D.]

I think it's somewhat likely that these two were "trying" something. Hopefully the NHTSA investigation determines what. Could they have had FSD Beta and attempted a back-seat video with safeties disabled? No FSD Beta testers have been reported in Texas AFAIK, but they could have been selected. 59 and 65 does not mean you're not capable of unwise behavior. They have my sympathies for whatever happened, whatever the cause.

 

[DaveG_NJ]

So the prevailing theory is that the two old codgers, having minutes before dropped off their wives at home, quickly found a dead-end street, engaged AP on a road it wouldn't work, at a speed it beyond it's software-enforced limit, defeated the safety belt and gymnastically jumped into another seat to watch the car careen down the road and into a tree. Yep, that makes sense.

I've given many demos of AP/NoA and people are plenty impressed with the "look no hands" (for 20 seconds) approach. It's never once occured to me to climb into the back seat.

 

[alexgr]

Just cancelled my FSD order..

Thanks ... if you planned on using it like reportedly the Texas enthusiasts tried to use it.

 

[CyberGus]

"With the physical evidence and the things of that nature on the scene, that night the position of the bodies the trajectory of the impact, they are 100% certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact. They are positive," Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman told KHOU 11.

Two Dead in Tesla Crash With No One Driving, Report Says

A deadly Tesla Model S crash in the Houston area happened with no one in the driver’s seat, first responders say. Two men are dead after the car hit a tree.

www.autoweek.com

 

[Mark57]

Yep, that makes sense.

Nah. Tiger Woods was actually driving.

 

[alexgr]

"With the physical evidence and the things of that nature on the scene, that night the position of the bodies the trajectory of the impact, they are 100% certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact. They are positive," Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman told KHOU 11.

Two Dead in Tesla Crash With No One Driving, Report Says

A deadly Tesla Model S crash in the Houston area happened with no one in the driver’s seat, first responders say. Two men are dead after the car hit a tree.

www.autoweek.com

wow. I'm just perplexed by the phrase: "The physical evidence and the things of that nature..." This sounds now more and more like X-Files or maybe Twin Peaks.

 

[EVNow]

But I just wanted to dispel the oft-repeated idea that AP or TACC could not remain engaged if someone wasn't seated in the driver's seat (or without otherwise defeating the driver's seat occupancy sensor with a weight or whatever).

I'm NOT saying the deceased did this, but if you have the seatbelt buckled behind your back, you can climb out of the drivers seat and into the backseat without AP or TACC disengaging on their own. IOW, the seat occupancy sensor doesn't come into play after AP/TACC is engaged as long as the seatbelt remains buckled.

Buckling the seatbelt behind the back is hacking. Its also illegal.

To repeat, AP or TACC could not remain engaged if someone wasn't seated *buckled* in the driver's seat.

ps : There was a story sometime back (couple of years?) - when the lawyer claimed the woman was pinned by X against the garage wall. IIRC alternate was that her kid somehow was driving the car - there was a lot of similar speculation/guesswork on what it would take for a kid to actually drive the car ...

 

[alexgr]

Nah. Tiger Woods was actually driving.

He was driving on autopilot.

 

[SO16]

Interesting response by a firefighter from that dept.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1384200863061663750

 

[EVNow]

I bet there will be no correction stories in major news outlets.

Even when corrections are issued, they are not front page - they are in page 12.

And then the "media" wonders why people are so mis-informed.

 

[Maxpilot]

I bet a lot of oil company executives live on that street.

 

[Dan D.]

wow. I'm just perplexed by the phrase: "The physical evidence and the things of that nature..." This sounds now more and more like X-Files or maybe Twin Peaks.

I presume they mean they were found buckled in the seats or the damage to them/car matched what would happen if someone was in the back seat at the time of the impact, rather than was flung/crawled there post-impact.

 

[rxlawdude]

I agree with many of the other posters here that there are lots of holes and inconsistencies in this story. Lots doesn't add up.

But I just wanted to dispel the oft-repeated idea that AP or TACC could not remain engaged if someone wasn't seated in the driver's seat (or without otherwise defeating the driver's seat occupancy sensor with a weight or whatever).

I'm NOT saying the deceased did this, but if you have the seatbelt buckled behind your back, you can climb out of the drivers seat and into the backseat without AP or TACC disengaging on their own. IOW, the seat occupancy sensor doesn't come into play after AP/TACC is engaged as long as the seatbelt remains buckled.


+1. Beat me to it.

That takes a lot of work to do. It's like disabling a GFCI breaker and taking a bath with a hair dryer.

 

[Silicon Desert]

But they actually add their own conclusions and twist to the story. For example, the Drive has the internet search title (changed in the article when you open it) that reads "No one was driving in Tesla autopilot crash that killed two in Texas". Then multiple news portals such as CBS add beef from older (negative) stories about the Autopilot and the fear of the [Autonomous] car. They are NOT just reporting the story, they are twisting it.

yes, it seems that is what the media loves to do. Bad news sells advertising and good news gets you to change the channel. Not sure if they just make stupid assumptions or do it on purpose. I flip on CNBC to see the stock report and there is a big tag line at the bottom "Tesla and Peloton in Termoil" They couldn't even spell it right, and about 30 seconds later they change the spelling to "Turmoil". Then the announcer said "2 die in Tesla autopilot crash". I change the channel as clearly their other news is likely wrong.

 

[Missile Toad]

I bet a lot of oil company executives live on that street.

Kinda gotta wonder, when is Elon going to take Tesla's PR department off of autopilot?

 

[Huskyf]

Not possible in fsd beta or normal autopilot see this other video with test with normal autopilot

https://twitter.com/x/status/1383881437993046018

 

[Dan D.]

NHTSA is investigating:

Tesla faces another NHTSA investigation after fatal driverless crash in Spring, Texas

The NHTSA said it "immediately" launched another investigation into Tesla following a fatal crash in Spring, Texas, over the weekend.

www.cnbc.com

Some more details in this article.

Scrutiny of Tesla crash a sign that regulation may be coming

A fiery crash near Houston with no one behind the wheel of a Tesla is drawing scrutiny from federal agencies that could bring new regulation of electronic systems that take on some driving tasks.

apnews.com

Also, I notice that had they left the road a few feet to the right the car would have crashed into the lake.

 

[Silicon Desert]

This sounds now more and more like X-Files or maybe Twin Peaks.

Well now that you mention it, I know EXACTLY what happened due to my 1200 years of experience in auto accidents. I figured out how Fred Flintstone crashed his foot driving car. In this case, it's pretty clear that an alien spacecraft beamed the driver out of the car while traveling at high speed and then set the car on fire to hide the fact they were here.

Seriously though, my stomach muscles hurt from laughing about some of the theories on this accident, including my own It will be interesting to find out the real truth.... if we ever will from survivable evidence, if any. It's another terrible crash.