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Neither did I! But it surely had to be a visible threat. A road where you can drive 68MPH is going to have enough visibility that you’ll see a truck that might

Neither did I! But it surely had to be a visible threat. A road where you can drive 68MPH is going to have enough visibility that you’ll see a truck that might cross your path at least that far in advance. Especially in flat-as-a-pancake Florida.

danso 7y ago
Is it Autopilot's standard behavior to decelerate/pump the brakes when it detects a vehicle at an intersection? Yes, I agree 10 seconds should be more than enough time for AP to begin preliminary evasive/mitigating maneuvers, but according to what u/zaroth posted [0], the preliminary findings do no not indicate this. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20597980 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20597980
- mikeash 7y ago
  I’m not saying Autopilot should have handled this. I’m saying the driver should have seen the potential threat sometime before engaging the system, and realized it was not a safe time to let it run unassisted. (It’s never truly safe in the current incarnation, but there are degrees.)
  - danso 7y ago
    I don't have a Tesla and so don't know how AP is used day-to-day, but I'm assuming it's frequently activated while driving at highway speeds, even amid traffic – similar to standard cruise control? But you're saying that drivers should never activate AP while driving, if any vehicles are also on the road within 5-10s of traveling speed?
    - mikeash 7y ago
      Autopilot is a driver assistance feature. You are required to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel while using it. Naturally, not everyone does that, although they definitely should. If they do choose to break those requirements, they should only do it for long enough that safety can be assured. If you use Autopilot for a bit, you get a feel for how it handles different situations, and adjust your attention accordingly. If the road is wide, clear and well marked then I can look far ahead and don’t have to focus too much. If I’m in a construction zone driving right next to a barrier, I need to keep a firm grip to ensure it stays away from that barrier and within the lines. If there’s stopped traffic ahead, I need to start watching to ensure it brakes, and take over to do it myself if it doesn’t. This guy never should have taken his attention away from the road. If he did, he never should have done it for so long. If he did, he never should have done it in a situation where a threat could turn into danger within that time.

danso 7y ago

Is it Autopilot's standard behavior to decelerate/pump the brakes when it detects a vehicle at an intersection? Yes, I agree 10 seconds should be more than enough time for AP to begin preliminary evasive/mitigating maneuvers, but according to what u/zaroth posted [0], the preliminary findings do no not indicate this. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20597980 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20597980

mikeash 7y ago
I’m not saying Autopilot should have handled this. I’m saying the driver should have seen the potential threat sometime before engaging the system, and realized it was not a safe time to let it run unassisted. (It’s never truly safe in the current incarnation, but there are degrees.)
- danso 7y ago
  I don't have a Tesla and so don't know how AP is used day-to-day, but I'm assuming it's frequently activated while driving at highway speeds, even amid traffic – similar to standard cruise control? But you're saying that drivers should never activate AP while driving, if any vehicles are also on the road within 5-10s of traveling speed?
  - mikeash 7y ago
    Autopilot is a driver assistance feature. You are required to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel while using it. Naturally, not everyone does that, although they definitely should. If they do choose to break those requirements, they should only do it for long enough that safety can be assured. If you use Autopilot for a bit, you get a feel for how it handles different situations, and adjust your attention accordingly. If the road is wide, clear and well marked then I can look far ahead and don’t have to focus too much. If I’m in a construction zone driving right next to a barrier, I need to keep a firm grip to ensure it stays away from that barrier and within the lines. If there’s stopped traffic ahead, I need to start watching to ensure it brakes, and take over to do it myself if it doesn’t. This guy never should have taken his attention away from the road. If he did, he never should have done it for so long. If he did, he never should have done it in a situation where a threat could turn into danger within that time.