Another Tesla Model S Blamed for Crash
Another Tesla Model S owner is blaming the car’s self-driving technology for a collision.
According to Arianna Simpson, her Model S was operating in autopilot mode when the car in front of her came to a sudden halt and her car did not slow down automatically like it its designed to do.
“There was a decent amount of space so I figured that the car was going to brake as it is supposed to and didn’t brake immediately,” she told ars technica. “When it became apparent that the car was not slowing down at all, I slammed on the brakes but was probably still going 40 when I collided with the other car,” she said.
Like in the other recent case, where a Model S driver blamed the car’s ‘summon’ feature for crashing into a parked trailer, Tesla says that the vehicle’s records don’t back up Simpson’s story. Tesla says that the logs show that adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking was deactivated when Simpson hit the brake pedal, leading to the crash.
SEE ALSO: Did This Tesla Model S Crash Itself?
“Tesla Autopilot is designed to provide a hands-on experience to give drivers more confidence behind the wheel, increase their safety on the road, and make highway driving more enjoyable. Autopilot is by far the most advanced such system on the road, but it does not turn a Tesla into an autonomous vehicle and does not allow the driver to abdicate responsibility,” said the company.
[Source: Ars Technica]
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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I can see autopilot being used as an excuse for many crashes and/or causing them itself. Those data logs are critical but will also be the subject of conspiracy theories. Rational or not, I'd keep a good distance from these cars per Murphy's Law. Summon mode should be banned because someone should at least be in the car to override it (people are already ignoring Tesla's rules about only doing it at home). If one kid or beloved pet gets run over by a sidling Tesla, TSWHTF. I remember having a debate years ago with fools who thought automatic "air cars" would be perfectly safe due to their mindless faith in technology, especially GPS. With lives and property at stake you always need to err on the side of safety, not overconfidence. Tech fan-boys need to leave their egos at the door.
I encourage readers to read the original article from Ars Technica. Important information has been left out. "Tesla says that the vehicle logs show that its adaptive cruise control system is not to blame. Data points to Simpson hitting the brake pedal and deactivating autopilot and traffic aware cruise control, returning the car to manual control instantly. (This has been industry-wide practice for cruise control systems for many years.) Simpson's use of the brake also apparently disengaged the automatic emergency braking system, something that's been standard across Tesla's range since it rolled out firmware version 6.2 last year."