Uh oh, another Tesla autopilot crash fatality

[botsapper]

This was first report of an autopilot mishap with a truck trailer. The narrow cones of the sensors are primarily aimed at bumper levels, but not at the higher space above it. The cars just went under the high clearance trailers because the sensors don't 'see' them. The impacts are deadly because they are at windshield/greenhouse/head/skull level. Tesla owners should not to use the Autopilot mode until Tesla and other autonomous vehicle manufacturers add more sensors aimed ABOVE their beltlines. Sad but inevitable lessons in the advancement (and DOT requirements) of autonomous vehicles. Man Claims His Tesla Model S Crashed Into A Trailer All On Its Own

[MetroMPG]

Clarification of the crash from the police report diagram, below.

The oncoming truck turned left across the Tesla's path. Seems like a pretty big visual target for a human to miss. Its "visual mass" would have grown rapidly (much moreso than a car's) as it began to turn.

The Tesla was headed east at 4:40 PM, so it wasn't driving into the sun.

[MetroMPG]

Oh, and the truck driver is claiming the Tesla was speeding and had a movie playing on its screen. (As if that absolves him from turning directly in front of it.)

Tesla says the car won't play movies when driving.

Everybody's trying to cover their butts, except one person who can't.

[Pooft Lee]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Oh, and the truck driver is claiming the Tesla was speeding and had a movie playing on its screen. (As if that absolves him from turning directly in front of it.)

Tesla says the car won't play movies when driving.

Everybody's trying to cover their butts, except one person who can't.

Autopilot shouldn't be able to speed? I could be wrong. and driver shouldn't be able to see the stereo/nav screen from his truck...

However, I'm sure it's the only time he's watched a car try to T bone him at full freeway speed. Being the only car that doesn't coast down a little with the rest of the drivers who were watching the road would make the Tesla look like a speeder. Thanks for posting the report. If he had a dash cam, the footage should clear a lot of things up

[Hersbird]

I also see where they quickly said the radar identified the truck as an overhead sign. Seems to me they probably knew that because they have had problems in testing with braking being applied when going under bridges and overhead signs. So they probably had to "tune" it out some. Obviously a little too much as a 3' high sign or bridge should not be tuned out.
This also makes me question how well it will do in the rain, and snow, or with animals and darkness. I personally will brake if a deer is standing on the side of the road, does this car? I doubt it, as it will then brake for all kinds of things on the side of the road. Does the car know the habits of whitetail deer compared to a mailbox like a human does?
They need to stop calling it autopilot. with autopilot the pilot could pass out and the plane can go to it's destination and land itself just as well as the pilot could. Most crashes are from the pilots ignoring what the plane is telling them to do (besides bombs and missiles that is). This is just adaptive cruise control.

[Grant-53]

Here in the USA tires have to have a specific amount of tread to pass inspection. More trucks are using side panels under the trailers to reduce air drag so they would be more detectable. The sensor should be set for 2 meters minimum safe height. Deer are very unpredictable. Even sensing for body heat would be tricky. Sound devices or beeping the horn in one second intervals seems to work best so far. I still pray for the deer on rural roads.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Does the car know the habits of whitetail deer compared to a mailbox like a human does?

Not just deer, either. Hereabouts there are also wild horses, antelope, open-range cattle, the occasional bear, and various other critters that I haven't personally encountered. All of them have different reactions to oncoming traffic.

....with autopilot the pilot could pass out and the plane can go to it's destination and land itself just as well as the pilot could.

Not true. Your basic autopilot system is very much like cruise control: it holds altitude, speed, and heading. What you're perhaps thinking of is an autoland system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoland In fact, there have been cases where a plane's crew was incapacitated due to sudden depressurization, and the plane just continued on the preset course under autopilot until it ran out of fuel. There was one such case a few years ago involving a well-known (to those who follow golf, if not to me) pro golfer.

[101Volts]

I saw a Tesla Sedan just north of Pittsburgh not long ago but not yesterday. Was it him? Perhaps not but it makes me wonder.

[oil pan 4]

So it never occurred to try this scenario out during testing knowing that the sensors have a very narrow field of view?
Sounds like this ones on them.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Not just deer, either. Hereabouts there are also wild horses, antelope, open-range cattle, the occasional bear, and various other critters that I haven't personally encountered.

My open exhaust turbo diesel suburban keeps them away I never see any deer while driving it.
On my wifes car we have almost hit so many deer I put new head lights (because the old ones were turning translucent) and rewired it for 100 watt high beams.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

My open exhaust turbo diesel suburban keeps them away I never see any deer while driving it.

Might be just your good luck, 'cause I've seen a number hit by semis & large pickups/SUVs.

On my wifes car we have almost hit so many deer I put new head lights (because the old ones were turning translucent) and rewired it for 100 watt high beams.

Around here the deer mostly come out around dawn & dusk, while it's light enough to not need headlights. Though those headlights sure would help with the open range Black Angus cattle :-)