Speaking of “Behind the wheels”, here is a little real-life anecdote:
Many years ago, I was in the process of enrolling a transfer student. While discussing her classes, she asked me to please enroll her in “Under the wheel training”.
Without skipping a beat, I told her that I had already enrolled her in Behind the Wheel instruction because we had found “under the wheel” to be too dangerous.
She thanked me.
As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now the rest of the story…” That Walmart truck was parked in a rest-area, it was not on the highway, it was not moving, it was parked… The Tesla “was traveling on Interstate 75 about 2 p.m. on a clear day . . . when, for an unknown reason, it careened into a Truck Rest Area.”
When you consider the speed of the vehicle and the mass of a Tesla probably close to 5,000 pounds," I cannot imagine the best, strongest built Mansfield Bars, also called “Underride Guards,” could have stood up to the impact.
https://nypost.com/2022/07/10/us-safety-watchdog-probes-fatal-tesla-crash-in-florida/
And as Paul ended each of his broadcast, “And now you know… the rest of the story.”
That is one heck of a “careen”, from right lane, to exit ramp, to truck rather than car parking lot.
Many years ago, in the town of Hoboken, it was SOP for trailers to park–sideways–on an extremely wide street by the name of Observer Highway. The street was also very poorly-lit.
Over the years, a number of cars–possibly driven by intoxicated drivers–drove into (and under) the sides of those trailers. Every one of those incidents resulted in the death of driver/passenger. Finally, after quite a few of those incidents, the powers-that-be decided that allowing trailers to be parked like that wasn’t such a great idea, and it was outlawed.
Mansfield bars would have been necessary on the sides of those trailers in order to lessen the death rate, but they probably wouldn’t have eliminated deaths in that situation.
It’s a rare teen boy who doesn’t have at least one accident. Mine happened when I was 24! (I’m 68 now).
I was driving down to the Outer Banks for the first time for one of my first flying jobs. Rt 15 in Frederick, MD. I was driving my beloved Datsun 510 with a friend as a PAX. We had just stopped for gas and food and I was getting back on the hwy on the on ramp. It was a little weird in that there was a stop sign at the end of the ramp. For some weird reason I turned LEFT and a large station wagon T-boned us. My Datsun was totaled and somehow me and friend didn’t have many injuries. It was so embarrassing, to this day I can’t believe I did that! That was my last (and only) accident.
The rest of the story is how did the Tesla allow the vehicle to rear end the trailer?? Heck my little truck has pre-collision systems that automatically slam on the brakes and scream (mutes the radio) and flashing BRAKE! at you, I know the Tesla is wayyyyy more advanced than my little truck…
Count on a self-driving car to do such!
Oh well I’m poor, and actually glad I’ll never own one.
+1
When I drive into my garage, if the sensors perceive that I’m getting too close to the back wall of the garage, the automatic braking mechanism is activated. I agree that the highly-technological Tesla should have braked the vehicle before it hit that trailer, or at least it should have slowed it down enough so that there was much less damage.
My first thought was that the full self driving mode may have gone awry. The driver may have lost control for some reason too. Or suicide. Who knows?
The article says, “The agency would not divulge if the Tesla was using the company’s partially automated driving technology.” So, from this article and others I found published at the time, we do not know if the “driver” was driving and had a medical issue, was snoozing and letting the automated system drive, or what…
However, further investigation reveals that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into the fatal Tesla crash in Florida that killed two people determined that the driver was not paying attention while using the Autopilot system.
The investigation also concluded that Tesla failed to adequately monitor whether drivers remain alert and ready to intervene while using its driver-assist systems.
In response, Tesla maintains that its systems require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle fully autonomous…
Sounds like a “Don’t blame me, I told him not to do it… Even though I make it possible to take a nap during the commute to work…”
I read that slipping a partially empty plastic bottle of water wedged into the steering wheel fooled the Autonomous System Drive into “thinking” there was Active Driver Supervision…
My post had Nothing to do with any kind of an Autopilot system, and everything to do with the pre-collision system… My 23 Tacoma is not even able to correct the steering wheel due to being hydraulic power steering, but it WILL apply the brakes hard to slow the vehicle down at least, you CAN override the system by turning the wheel abruptly and or mash the gas pedal, or simply turn the system off, so again, what IS the rest of the story?? lol
I guess the rest of the story is if the “the Tesla is wayyyyy more advanced than my little truck…” then why did it take the car off the interstate, into a rest area, at high speed, and run right into a parked tractor trailer?
My 2019 Toyota Corolla SE when set on cruise and the vehicle up ahead slows down, it slows me down and if the car up ahead stops, the cruise also stops the car. This was proved in a controlled test. I did not, nor do I intend to test that capability in an emergency. And I do not count on it, I drive my car, not its systems… I do use cruise but not all that much, especially when there is other traffic around… It is especially annoying when I’m cruising and the follow distance is set to max and a car up ahead changes lanes in front of me and the car immediately slows down to reestablish the pre-set distance…
Yes I know how the cruise control works, Toyota calls it Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) and is often part of the (TSS) Toyota Safety Sense system, the DRCC helps maintain a set speed and a safe following distance from the vehicle in front.
My daughters 2017 Corolla has it as well as my Tacoma has it… Again not the point… lol
And I love using my DRCC.. BTW, at least in the Tacoma’s, if you press the CC/DRCC button and hold it for 1.5 seconds or more, it will convert it over to plain old constant speed cruise control…
I also rest my foot on the gas pedal if in any kind of traffic so I can move it as needed in the same response time as with no CC/DRCC on…
Interesting.
I use my ‘analog’ cruise control in my 2010 Honda, and the only times I have to slow down is for ‘mystery traffic’ or when approaching contruction.
2 things with this whole story.
#1 - We have no idea if Tesla was driving the car or not.
#2 - No car has been approved for Level 5 (complete autonomous driving). At best some are at level 3. The owner is suppose to be in control and have his/her hand on steering wheel at all times. At this level the car is there to assist - NOT TAKE CONTROL.
The jump from Level 2 to Level 3 is substantial from a technological perspective, but subtle if not negligible from a human perspective.
Level 3 vehicles have “environmental detection” capabilities and can make informed decisions for themselves, such as accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle. But―they still require human override. The driver must remain alert and ready to take control if the system is unable to execute the task.
You’re smart.
When I worked for a large mortgage bank I did a study on why homeowners were defaulting on their mortgages when they seemingly made enough money to afford them.
We found that over their lifespan the typical person spent as much capital (principal and interest) on cars as they did on homes (assuming a 2 car household).
These homeowners defaulted on their mortgages homes rather than on their car loans.
Worse when a person retires and downsizes to an apartment or nursing home that house would have had value. Their cars would have little to no value.
Study was done in 2008. Average lifetime P&I on cars and homes were each just under $400k. Today that would be approaching $600k.
So they are spending over a million in capital and getting only the home value (1/2) back.
I think you’re maybe being sarcastic ?
Teslas are not more advanced. They only have cameras for auto braking. Most other cars also have radar and/or lidar.
Most of the industry calls that “Adaptive Cruise Control”. That’s what GM calls it in my Chevy Volt. But some companies can’t help themselves, they have to change names on things. So they can claim theirs is “different” in some way.