4 ms·

The article does not say that the autopilot was on. Presume that it wasn't for a moment. 66 year old in the drivers seat. Car does something unexpected and the

by mabbo 4y ago

The article does not say that the autopilot was on. Presume that it wasn't for a moment. 66 year old in the drivers seat. Car does something unexpected and then drives at full speed into a solid object. If this was anything other than a Tesla, the headline wouldn't mention what kind of car it was. Because the author is trying to imply this is the fault if Tesla, with no evidence.

gnicholas 4y ago
It would be very helpful if they could report whether bystanders saw the car drive at full speed off the freeway into the rest stop. If so, that looks more like it’s the car’s fault. If it was momentary acceleration after a normal-speed exit from the freeway, then it’s more likely driver error. For example, the driver might have been fully in control, but then tried to brake but hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. Teslas have such incredible acceleration that even a momentary mistake could be fatal. That’s one uniquely dangerous aspect of Teslas. There are plenty of other very fast cars out there, but senior citizens (who aren’t car enthusiasts) don’t tend to buy them. Even among sports cars, the low end torque of a Tesla is probably unmatched.
unforeseen9991 4y ago
There wouldn't be a headline if this was anything but a Tesla. 117 People die per day in the US alone from automobile accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in...
failTide 4y ago
Fair point, but slamming into large, stationary vehicles seems to be a recurring theme for the autopilot incidents. I'd put my money on this being autopilot.
- oittaa 4y ago
  Let's make a friendly $10k bet. We can use any reputable betting site you choose.
toddh 4y ago
This implication a 66 year old with decades of successful driving experience is likely to crash doesn't track. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/age-of-driver https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/age-of-dr...: drivers 65 to 74 account for 13.7% of licensed drivers, but represent only 6.9% of drivers in all crashes and 7.7% of drivers in fatal crashes.

by mabbo 4y ago

gnicholas 4y ago

It would be very helpful if they could report whether bystanders saw the car drive at full speed off the freeway into the rest stop. If so, that looks more like it’s the car’s fault. If it was momentary acceleration after a normal-speed exit from the freeway, then it’s more likely driver error. For example, the driver might have been fully in control, but then tried to brake but hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. Teslas have such incredible acceleration that even a momentary mistake could be fatal. That’s one uniquely dangerous aspect of Teslas. There are plenty of other very fast cars out there, but senior citizens (who aren’t car enthusiasts) don’t tend to buy them. Even among sports cars, the low end torque of a Tesla is probably unmatched.

unforeseen9991 4y ago

There wouldn't be a headline if this was anything but a Tesla. 117 People die per day in the US alone from automobile accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in...

failTide 4y ago

Fair point, but slamming into large, stationary vehicles seems to be a recurring theme for the autopilot incidents. I'd put my money on this being autopilot.

oittaa 4y ago
Let's make a friendly $10k bet. We can use any reputable betting site you choose.

toddh 4y ago

This implication a 66 year old with decades of successful driving experience is likely to crash doesn't track. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/age-of-driver https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/age-of-dr...: drivers 65 to 74 account for 13.7% of licensed drivers, but represent only 6.9% of drivers in all crashes and 7.7% of drivers in fatal crashes.