Tesla driver dies in first fatal crash while using autopilot mode
- Thread starter Steve Williams
- Start date
Even though as it turns out, there is an argument the driver was not paying the sort of attention that using this system requires, I suspect he has nonetheless actually played a key role in the ongoing pursuit of perfection as it pertains to these sorts of systems. I honestly can't imagine I would have the guts (let alone the money) to venture out in a car today with an "autopilot" (bad word), so the people who are doing it actually have my admiration and thanks. You can develop as much as you like in the laboratory but as we all know, nothing polishes a product and removes the bugs better than mass beta testing.
Even though I enjoy driving, it is only in high fidelity racing simulators and during track days. I don't enjoy driving on public roads (except when traffic is exceedingly light) - not because the driving itself does not convey some sort of mild enjoyment (it does) but because other drivers seem to drive both aggressively and at an extremely low standard these days. Unfortunately technology has gotten to the point where, whilst a human still has to control a vehicle, other technological strides such as ABS, traction control, lane awareness systems, autonomous emergency braking, etc have considerably lowered the skill levels needed to control that vehicle. And these "technological" cushions can precipitate more aggressive driving in my opinion.
Never a day goes by where I am not tailgated by someone even though I travel just above the speed limit and have GPS to verify that. Some weeks back I had a heavy Mazda CX9 almost write me off because they were tailgating me and the light went red. I could easily stop without heavy braking and had I not, I would have gone into the path of cars entering the intersection from the left. The Mazda decided to clumsily drive onto the verge and the driver looked the right idiot sitting there in the intersection.
Of course I am sure all of us can retell a number of stories about idiotic drivers but my point is that I will welcome the full autonomy of motor vehicles. Because when the day comes that vehicles are not under our control whatsoever, that is the day I can happily travel from A to B without being stressed out by the possibility of whiplash caused by a tailgater, other accidents that may not injure me but are expensive plus much reduced (and possibly non-existent) road rage.
It is a pity that by the time all this becomes reliable and mainstream, I'll likely be handing in my licence due to age. And future generations will think it amazing that we used to actually manually drive these things around! I imagine that companies such as Tesla will eventually make these systems as infallible as the modern petrol car is of today, after which that technology will be licenced to other manufacturers.
Hi
I am with Fiddle on this.
I feel for the person who lost his/her life and for his relatives, friends, family, all those who shared his/her life. I do however believe that it won't be long before driving become as we've known become as passe as the computer "c" prompt. We put our lives in the "hands" of complete strangers or unknown technology every day without thinking much about it... The leap to leave driving to the much more capable "hands" of a computer is not that great nor far IMHO. Self piloting cars are happening and this cannot be stopped.
I am with Fiddle on this.
I feel for the person who lost his/her life and for his relatives, friends, family, all those who shared his/her life. I do however believe that it won't be long before driving become as we've known become as passe as the computer "c" prompt. We put our lives in the "hands" of complete strangers or unknown technology every day without thinking much about it... The leap to leave driving to the much more capable "hands" of a computer is not that great nor far IMHO. Self piloting cars are happening and this cannot be stopped.
..you've touched on my greatest driving pet peeve...tailgating...grr. It's often times like being on a nascar track and having some mental Pygmy bump draft...double grr..
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