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I have owned a Tesla Model 3 in the UK for almost a year now. The Auto Pilot is only useful on dual carriageways and straight roads and still very frequently su

by cjdell 6y ago

I have owned a Tesla Model 3 in the UK for almost a year now. The Auto Pilot is only useful on dual carriageways and straight roads and still very frequently suffers from "phantom braking". It should be obvious to any half decent driver that concentration is not optional. Having said that, the Auto Pilot has saved me from a couple of near misses: - It has detected the car in front braking suddenly and reacted before my brain had even registered. - It has nudged the car sideways when a car (in my blind spot) moved too close. At the moment it is a driving aid, a second set of eyes, not a driver replacement. It is useful as that, but Tesla (as much as a love them) could really do to be more honest in the marketing of their "Full Self Driving" packages. I expect it will get substantially better, but not in the time frame the Musk says it will.

globular-toast 6y ago
> Having said that, the Auto Pilot has saved me from a couple of near misses I'm interested to know, have you ever been involved in any collisions on the road before owning the Tesla? How long have you been using the road?
- cjdell 6y ago
  Only 1 accident that was my fault (I was young and stupid). Been driving for 17 years and have had near misses before. I don't know for sure if I would have crashed if it wasn't for Auto Pilot, but it's nice to know that it's there, even if it makes mistakes from time to time. The other factor is that I'm driving more now that I have the Tesla, which probably isn't too surprising (at least until the lock down).
  - globular-toast 6y ago
    Whenever I hear about these safety features saving people from near misses I always wonder how they've got this far driving without dying. For example, lane keep assist. If you can't stay in a lane you can't drive. It's such a basic requirement. So I can only assume that people are deviating from their lanes simply because these safety features exist.
    - cjdell 6y ago
      That may be true of some people. I don't think I've become complacent. It's impossible to tell what would have happened if the car hadn't helped in those situations. The car does have advantages over humans, like for example, the 8 cameras mounted around the car, making blind spot collisions less likely. If someone comes out of their lane into mine and happens to be in my blind spot then there's not much I can do. I do turn my head when changing lanes, but I can't see in all directions at the same time. And I'm human, I will make mistakes from time to time. The car can also react far more quickly than a human nervous system ever could. In situations when I've needed to brake for someone, often I've moved my foot to the brake pedal and found that it is already depressed. I think safety features are a net win overall. I'm sure seat belts and air bags have caused problems, but in the end we have decided we're better with them than without.

by cjdell 6y ago

globular-toast 6y ago

> Having said that, the Auto Pilot has saved me from a couple of near misses I'm interested to know, have you ever been involved in any collisions on the road before owning the Tesla? How long have you been using the road?

cjdell 6y ago
Only 1 accident that was my fault (I was young and stupid). Been driving for 17 years and have had near misses before. I don't know for sure if I would have crashed if it wasn't for Auto Pilot, but it's nice to know that it's there, even if it makes mistakes from time to time. The other factor is that I'm driving more now that I have the Tesla, which probably isn't too surprising (at least until the lock down).
- globular-toast 6y ago
  Whenever I hear about these safety features saving people from near misses I always wonder how they've got this far driving without dying. For example, lane keep assist. If you can't stay in a lane you can't drive. It's such a basic requirement. So I can only assume that people are deviating from their lanes simply because these safety features exist.
  - cjdell 6y ago
    That may be true of some people. I don't think I've become complacent. It's impossible to tell what would have happened if the car hadn't helped in those situations. The car does have advantages over humans, like for example, the 8 cameras mounted around the car, making blind spot collisions less likely. If someone comes out of their lane into mine and happens to be in my blind spot then there's not much I can do. I do turn my head when changing lanes, but I can't see in all directions at the same time. And I'm human, I will make mistakes from time to time. The car can also react far more quickly than a human nervous system ever could. In situations when I've needed to brake for someone, often I've moved my foot to the brake pedal and found that it is already depressed. I think safety features are a net win overall. I'm sure seat belts and air bags have caused problems, but in the end we have decided we're better with them than without.