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If we want to be fair to consumers and bystanders, Tesla needs their product to safely stop the reckless behavior (not simply warn the user). If it can't do tha

If we want to be fair to consumers and bystanders, Tesla needs their product to safely stop the reckless behavior (not simply warn the user). If it can't do that, it needs to disable AutoPilot. AutoPilot was marketed in a way which led to Tesla selling their product to people with unwittingly dangerous uses in mind. It is unacceptable for Tesla to enable this reckless driving. Tesla has the ability to affect the scale of this problem most readily and relying on individual consumers is not in the best interests of public health.

gpm 7y ago
Why can't I say literally the exact same thing about all cars? Let's hold people responsible for their actions, not objects. It's one thing to say "autopilot makes it hard to focus", it's another thing to say "autopilot made me pick up the phone while driving, and lie about it".
- birdyrooster 7y ago
  Tesla's Auto Pilot website makes claims that other auto manufacturers don't make like: "With the new Tesla Vision cameras, sensors and computing power, your Tesla will navigate tighter, more complex roads." There is a lot implied in the short phrasing of "navigate tighter, more complex roads". It also begs the question that Tesla's capabilities were sufficient in the first place. "All new Tesla cars have the hardware needed in the future for full self-driving in almost all circumstances. The system is designed to be able to conduct short and long distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver’s seat." Why make potentially misleading and untested future-looking statements when consumer safety should be the focus of a system like this? https://www.tesla.com/autopilot https://www.tesla.com/autopilot
zaroth 7y ago
This might sound like a good idea in principle — in effect, don’t allow people to use the system unless they are more attentive then even most drivers are normally. The problem is the natural outcome is that people will then simply just stop using the system, and end up less safe because of it, causing more accidents and possibly costing lives. In the interest of public health, the system has to be better than the average driver, and also not annoyingly unusable. So there is a balancing act. Tesla will already disable AP if you keep your hands off the wheel for too long. It even locks you out for the rest of the drive as a “penalty box” so you can’t just turn it back on. As I drive down the highway on AP, the number of cars drifting in their lanes, crossing the lines, changing lanes without signaling, not maintaining proper speed, driving aggressively, driving for an exit at the last minute, panic breaking, etc. is actually somewhat mind blowing. It’s amazing there aren’t more accidents. Versus the Model 3 which maintains speed and centers in its lane more precisely than I even do manually, for mile after mile. What’s also remarkable is the constant progression of new features, better feature detection, more complex navigation and route planning which has happened over just the last 12 months. Tesla AP now in 2019 is significantly improved from what it looked like even July 2018, and v10 will just continue the progression. Tesla safety stats are hard to compare to the general public, but what I can say definitely is a Tesla on AP on the highway is way more consistent and predictable of a driver than any human. It’s better to be in the Tesla in AP on the highway, but I imagine it’s also better to be driving behind or beside the Tesla in that same situation because it’s not driving distracted like almost everyone else on the road.

gpm 7y ago

Why can't I say literally the exact same thing about all cars? Let's hold people responsible for their actions, not objects. It's one thing to say "autopilot makes it hard to focus", it's another thing to say "autopilot made me pick up the phone while driving, and lie about it".

birdyrooster 7y ago
Tesla's Auto Pilot website makes claims that other auto manufacturers don't make like: "With the new Tesla Vision cameras, sensors and computing power, your Tesla will navigate tighter, more complex roads." There is a lot implied in the short phrasing of "navigate tighter, more complex roads". It also begs the question that Tesla's capabilities were sufficient in the first place. "All new Tesla cars have the hardware needed in the future for full self-driving in almost all circumstances. The system is designed to be able to conduct short and long distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver’s seat." Why make potentially misleading and untested future-looking statements when consumer safety should be the focus of a system like this? https://www.tesla.com/autopilot https://www.tesla.com/autopilot

zaroth 7y ago

This might sound like a good idea in principle — in effect, don’t allow people to use the system unless they are more attentive then even most drivers are normally. The problem is the natural outcome is that people will then simply just stop using the system, and end up less safe because of it, causing more accidents and possibly costing lives. In the interest of public health, the system has to be better than the average driver, and also not annoyingly unusable. So there is a balancing act. Tesla will already disable AP if you keep your hands off the wheel for too long. It even locks you out for the rest of the drive as a “penalty box” so you can’t just turn it back on. As I drive down the highway on AP, the number of cars drifting in their lanes, crossing the lines, changing lanes without signaling, not maintaining proper speed, driving aggressively, driving for an exit at the last minute, panic breaking, etc. is actually somewhat mind blowing. It’s amazing there aren’t more accidents. Versus the Model 3 which maintains speed and centers in its lane more precisely than I even do manually, for mile after mile. What’s also remarkable is the constant progression of new features, better feature detection, more complex navigation and route planning which has happened over just the last 12 months. Tesla AP now in 2019 is significantly improved from what it looked like even July 2018, and v10 will just continue the progression. Tesla safety stats are hard to compare to the general public, but what I can say definitely is a Tesla on AP on the highway is way more consistent and predictable of a driver than any human. It’s better to be in the Tesla in AP on the highway, but I imagine it’s also better to be driving behind or beside the Tesla in that same situation because it’s not driving distracted like almost everyone else on the road.