“The Tesla struck one cruiser and the disabled vehicle, State Police said, and the driver said he was using the car’s autopilot system while he checked on his dog.”
Like he doesn’t pay attention to the news. Get off at an exit and stop the car if you want to check on your dog.
Clearly the user manual warnings, instrument cluster warnings, and all the news stories about how autopilot actually works aren’t enough for some people.
You know how most dealerships want to sit with you for 30+ minutes after you buy a new car showing you how to use all the features?
Why can’t they just require new owners to watch a 5 minute video that clearly states “if you use autopilot, don’t keep your hands on the wheel, don’t keep your eyes on the road, and aren’t ready to take control of the vehicle over at a moment’s notice to avoid a loss, you should not use this feature or complain it doesn’t work properly”?
The problem is humans are not good at checking a machine working ok 95% of the time. After a while they have gained too much trust in such a system. This is already known for many years. With self-driving cars this is very dangerous because the driver has to acts within seconds when the car makes a mistake. Yet Tesla ignores this basic findings just to sell more cars.
So I think for insurers the risk of insuring such cars is too high. Because these cars are dangerous there is also a moral obligation for not insuring them.
So instead of educating consumers on how to properly use the technology, you suggest … what exactly?
Remember when cruise control came out and everyone had to learn “don’t just set it and forget it – pay attention all the time and be ready to brake if you need to”?
Remember when ABS came out and everyone had to re-learn how to brake? We went from “you must pump your brakes when skidding” to “don’t you dare pump your brakes!” pretty quickly.
But seriously – besides “don’t insure the vehicles”, what’s your suggestion?
Mine is “Provide more training. Make owners watch a video before letting them drive off the lot. Maybe even have them take a written test with one question like “Can you just set Autopilot and take your eyes and hands off the wheel and stop paying attention and don’t ever worry about taking control of the car to avoid an accident?”
I wish I could say the laziness of these drivers surprises me. The moment a manufacturer uses the word “autopilot”, these uber-rich idiots take it literally.
Going to show my ignorance here but why is there an “auto pilot” feature on an automobile anyway? Unlike aircraft & boats where the skies & seas are pretty much clear of obstacles & debris for very long distances, highways can have potholes, debris, and rapidly appearing dangers that autopilot may not identify properly. I’m not sure we need anything more than cruise control (for resting/adjusting legs), anti-lock brakes, & blind spot monitoring. While these features may help drivers and improve safety, they never remove the basic responsibility of driving. I am certainly not a Tesla hater and I support electric vehicles and hope the technology will advance to the level of traditional autos.
“The Tesla struck one cruiser and the disabled vehicle, State Police said, and the driver said he was using the car’s autopilot system while he checked on his dog.”
Like he doesn’t pay attention to the news. Get off at an exit and stop the car if you want to check on your dog.
Clearly the user manual warnings, instrument cluster warnings, and all the news stories about how autopilot actually works aren’t enough for some people.
You know how most dealerships want to sit with you for 30+ minutes after you buy a new car showing you how to use all the features?
Why can’t they just require new owners to watch a 5 minute video that clearly states “if you use autopilot, don’t keep your hands on the wheel, don’t keep your eyes on the road, and aren’t ready to take control of the vehicle over at a moment’s notice to avoid a loss, you should not use this feature or complain it doesn’t work properly”?
The problem is humans are not good at checking a machine working ok 95% of the time. After a while they have gained too much trust in such a system. This is already known for many years. With self-driving cars this is very dangerous because the driver has to acts within seconds when the car makes a mistake. Yet Tesla ignores this basic findings just to sell more cars.
So I think for insurers the risk of insuring such cars is too high. Because these cars are dangerous there is also a moral obligation for not insuring them.
So instead of educating consumers on how to properly use the technology, you suggest … what exactly?
Remember when cruise control came out and everyone had to learn “don’t just set it and forget it – pay attention all the time and be ready to brake if you need to”?
Remember when ABS came out and everyone had to re-learn how to brake? We went from “you must pump your brakes when skidding” to “don’t you dare pump your brakes!” pretty quickly.
But seriously – besides “don’t insure the vehicles”, what’s your suggestion?
Mine is “Provide more training. Make owners watch a video before letting them drive off the lot. Maybe even have them take a written test with one question like “Can you just set Autopilot and take your eyes and hands off the wheel and stop paying attention and don’t ever worry about taking control of the car to avoid an accident?”
As I’ve said before, “Autopilot” is a horrible name for this feature.
I wish I could say the laziness of these drivers surprises me. The moment a manufacturer uses the word “autopilot”, these uber-rich idiots take it literally.
Going to show my ignorance here but why is there an “auto pilot” feature on an automobile anyway? Unlike aircraft & boats where the skies & seas are pretty much clear of obstacles & debris for very long distances, highways can have potholes, debris, and rapidly appearing dangers that autopilot may not identify properly. I’m not sure we need anything more than cruise control (for resting/adjusting legs), anti-lock brakes, & blind spot monitoring. While these features may help drivers and improve safety, they never remove the basic responsibility of driving. I am certainly not a Tesla hater and I support electric vehicles and hope the technology will advance to the level of traditional autos.