
Tesla Autopilot avoids 45mph T-bone accident on dark, stormy night [video] - hoag
https://innovately.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/tesla-autopilot-avoids-45mph-t-bone-accident-on-dark-stormy-night-video/
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greglindahl
I'm really looking forward to this tech -- I recently was at fault in a
highway chain-reaction accident where I was trying to merge right, and looked
over my right shoulder at exactly the time when the car in front of me stood
on his brakes. WHAM! With collision avoidance, which many carmakers are
shipping in high-end cars, I would have safely stopped. (The car behind me,
fortunately, had allowed more distance and was looking ahead -- and didn't hit
me.)

This video is quite similar; it's not showing anything unique to Tesla, but it
does show the promise of systems that are not subject to human attention FAIL.

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hoag
Totally agreed. That's why I really hope sluggish legislation doesn't get in
the way of expediting the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles, and why I'm
doing what I can to write about these issues as much as possible. I'm sorry to
hear about your accident, but I'm glad (it sounds like?) you were (all?) ok.
As a side tip, if only as an interim solution until you get a car with some
sort of accident-avoidance features, may I suggest a tip for your mirrors to
eliminate your blind spots? Your side mirrors should be used ONLY for viewing
cars to your sides, while your rear mirror ONLY should view cars behind you.
To test that it works, a car should slightly overlap from your rear mirror,
into your side mirrors, and then into your peripheral vision. If your side
mirrors are largely duplicating your rear mirror, then they are not set up
correctly. Proof that it is possible -- necessary! -- to set your mirrors up
like this and fully eliminate blind spots is that certain cars (like
convertibles with the top up, or any car with unusually large/wide C-pillars)
make it impossible to see over your shoulder, and require that you set up your
mirrors correctly. Just a little tip, and I hope it helps! :)

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greglindahl
100% of the driving advice I've ever gotten is to always look over your
shoulder before moving over, no matter what a glance in the mirror says. In
all fairness, had I not been too close to the car in front of me, that glance
would not have led to an accident.

I do have my mirrors adjusted as you suggest. From my experience with rental
cars, I suspect that you and I are the only people in the world who do it that
way.

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hoag
I know, same. Unfortunately most of the advice we get in the US is from
asshats who don't know proper driving technique. Regardless, the fact is that
in certain cars, looking over your shoulder is totally futile anyway;
accordingly, you'd best have an alternative solution!

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goldenkey
It avoided a bad driver. But let's not forget that that the driver who turned
without a glance is a real piece of garbage. It's unfortunate that they get
the benefit of Tesla's autopilot, no consequences for them. Even when their
selfish dissonance could have killed or maimed fellow citizens.

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hoag
Sure. But unfortunately, here in the US, we have especially bad drivers. And
even great drivers can make mistakes or get distracted. I have a virtually
untarnished driving record, yet I'd still welcome such added protection. After
all, pilots have enjoyed such systems for decades.

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goldenkey
I would welcome the protection as well. I still feel that the other driver
needs a good punishment though, without consequence, there is no behavioral
therapy -- that idiot will continue to do their shenanigans and when the
oncoming lane has a normal car instead of a Tesla, people will die. Bad
driving is really an oversimplification of the fact that someone decided to
take a 2 ton vehicle, and enter a lane of traffic without even looking. That's
more akin to malice or shifting responsibility than ignorance. It is also very
very dumb though, because the odds that there is a car in the other lane that
even has enough time to stop is not a guarantee. So it's not only selfish but
also dumb.

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hoag
Sure, fair enough. Agreed.

