Posted on 07/01/2016 3:56:58 PM PDT by nickcarraway
One day after the world learned about the deadly crash of a Tesla Model S while in autonomous mode, the technology is under the microscope.
“It’s a serious problem and everybody needs to stop,” says Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog, who calls the accident “a wake-up call to regulators.”
The fact that the Tesla can, at least in part, drive itself has been controversial.
The idea of safety coming first in driverless cars was reiterated Friday.
Parolee in Palo Alto Fires Stun Gun at Cabbie: PD “When there is a red flag, it’s time to pay close attention," Silicon Valley attorney Richard Alexander said.
The family of Joshua Brown, the 40-year old killed in the crash, called him "most importantly, a loving son and brother.”
Administration says it will look into the crash, tech giant Intel as well as BMW say they will work to bring driverless cars to the market in the next few years.
Based on what I’ve read about this, I’m surprised that Tesla doesn’t have some sort of radar sensor integrated into the system and not just video.
Just heard that there may have been an DVD player in use at the time.
Truck driver said a Harry Potter movie was still playing on a dvd player after accident. Probably was a portable one.
I heard on the radio today, the default option when you get in the car is self-driving OFF. You have to select ON, and in doing so, you explicitly accept that it’s a beta-test configuration and that you are responsible for any accident.
I saw on another article that he was an ex-Navy Seal.
I expected a techie nerd.
Hey! What’s wrong with watching a video? I was thinking of an automonous van so the gang and I could play pinnochle while the van drives us to Florida....and back. Snicker-snort.
Good advice
While a lot of people seem to be focused on the car, I’m much more focused on how the big rig driver missed that there was oncoming traffic before he pulled across lanes.
This type of accident isn’t exactly super uncommon - parts of Europe require barriers under trucks to prevent such accidents.
As for the radar sensor, I think the biggest issue is that most times such systems focus quite low (so they can detect incidents in front of the car ahead.) I doubt that it would detect a big rig trailer across the lane of traffic. If the trailer was a little ahead or behind where it was, this accident probably wouldn’t have happened.
Self driving cars seem to be all about removing more control from humans because they claim they will “be safer” than human drivers....
HA!
Left turn in front of oncoming is the leading killer of motorcyclists IIRC. (for 2 vehicle accidents, too hot into a curve for solo)
Speed may have been a factor. I read elsewhere that the car came to a stop a quarter mile down the road.
I poster at the Next Big Future blog pointed out that Teslas have driven 130 million miles until their first fatality, which is actually better than the US average of 91 million miles driven per fatality. While they will be subject to wild hyperbole, all autonomous cars have to do is be safer than humans, not perfect.
It’s interesting to see that Tesla knows how many total miles they have accumulated in autopilot mode.
No secrets from Big Brother.
There is one, but it only detects objects from fascia level up to hood level. The trailer was above hood level.
But I have seen no explanation why the tractor passing perpendicular to the travel lane did not trigger the system, or at least interrupt the Harry Potter movie the driver was watching.
Patriots beware !
While the feds investigating this accident is arguably a good idea, just as with the emergence of drone technology, the unconstitutionally big federal government nonetheless has no clear constitutional authority to involve itself in this accident imo. So we need to heed the warnings from James Madison and Thomas Jefferson concerning gradual and silent encroachments of power by the feds.
”I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” —James Madison, Speech at the Virginia Convention to ratify the Federal Constitution (1788-06-06)
”To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any definition.” —Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson's Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank : 1791
”The system of the General Government is to seize all doubtful ground. We must join in the scramble, or get nothing. Where first occupancy is to give right, he who lies still loses all.” —Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe, 1797.
I’m hoping this brings a halt to a stupid idea - I have no desire to be on the highway with a driverless car, a drunk or a pothead.
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