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I think there's automatic collision avoidance always on that uses the autopilot sensors. So even if you're not actively using autopilot, the car can avoid hitti

by otalp 9y ago

I think there's automatic collision avoidance always on that uses the autopilot sensors. So even if you're not actively using autopilot, the car can avoid hitting an obstacle it sees on the road.

rowyourboat 9y ago
True, but most cars in the luxury-sedan segment (and quite a few compact cars) can do that, so this is not autopilot-specific.
- makomk 9y ago
  Yeah, and automatic emergency braking is a clear-cut enough win for safety that there's been talk of making it mandatory on all new cars in a few years' time. Tesla seem to have adopted a deliberate strategy of conflating the safety benefits of an uncontroversial feature many cars have with the much more questionable safety of their autopilot mode in order to promote the latter. The big example Elon Musk was pushing of Autopilot preventing an accident and likely saving someone's life was the result of automatic emergency braking in conditions very far from those autopilot mode could be used in (heavy rain in an urban area at night, if I remember correctly).
  - danielbigham 9y ago
    Yes, this conflation has bother me as well. In the long term it's an absolute slam dunk to transition to autonomous vehicles, but I'm a bit worried that they're feeling they need to hide the most important numbers in 2018 in an attempt to avoid an irrational / unwise response from the public.
  - rowyourboat 9y ago
    Automatic emergency braking is already mandatory for trucks in the EU.
taf2 9y ago
Yup and this has saved me from at least 2 collisions! The first time was right after I got the car and I was totally not watching the road but instead playing around with the controls and suddenly the screen started flashing red. The second time was a car to my right as I tried switching lanes. I rarely let the car drive itself, but when I have it often alerts that I don’t have my hands on the wheel and I’m like uhh literally holding the wheel so I take the data that indicates the driver not holding the wheel with a grain of salt...

by otalp 9y ago

I think there's automatic collision avoidance always on that uses the autopilot sensors. So even if you're not actively using autopilot, the car can avoid hitting an obstacle it sees on the road.

rowyourboat 9y ago

True, but most cars in the luxury-sedan segment (and quite a few compact cars) can do that, so this is not autopilot-specific.

makomk 9y ago
Yeah, and automatic emergency braking is a clear-cut enough win for safety that there's been talk of making it mandatory on all new cars in a few years' time. Tesla seem to have adopted a deliberate strategy of conflating the safety benefits of an uncontroversial feature many cars have with the much more questionable safety of their autopilot mode in order to promote the latter. The big example Elon Musk was pushing of Autopilot preventing an accident and likely saving someone's life was the result of automatic emergency braking in conditions very far from those autopilot mode could be used in (heavy rain in an urban area at night, if I remember correctly).
- danielbigham 9y ago
  Yes, this conflation has bother me as well. In the long term it's an absolute slam dunk to transition to autonomous vehicles, but I'm a bit worried that they're feeling they need to hide the most important numbers in 2018 in an attempt to avoid an irrational / unwise response from the public.
- rowyourboat 9y ago
  Automatic emergency braking is already mandatory for trucks in the EU.

taf2 9y ago

Yup and this has saved me from at least 2 collisions! The first time was right after I got the car and I was totally not watching the road but instead playing around with the controls and suddenly the screen started flashing red. The second time was a car to my right as I tried switching lanes. I rarely let the car drive itself, but when I have it often alerts that I don’t have my hands on the wheel and I’m like uhh literally holding the wheel so I take the data that indicates the driver not holding the wheel with a grain of salt...