A Tesla Model S owner in Alberta, Canada, drove his car to sleep while driving at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour. He was charged by the police for dangerous driving . The police believe that “Tesla Autopilot is not an autonomous driving system, and the driver still has to bear the driving responsibility.” This case has raised questions about Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system Autopilot and driver complacency.
On July 9, local time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that they received a complaint about someone driving recklessly on Highway 2 near Ponoca, Alberta. The police stated that the 2019 Tesla Model S involved “appears to be in an autonomous state, driving at more than 140 kilometers per hour, with the two front seats fully tilted, and all passengers in the car seem to be asleep.
The police stated that after receiving the complaint, they began to chase the vehicle in question, and then the Tesla car “automatically began to accelerate” and eventually reached a speed of 150 kilometers per hour. The driver was a 21-year-old male from British Columbia. He was accused of speeding and driving fatigue after parking, resulting in his driver’s license being revoked for 24 hours. The man was later charged with dangerous driving.
Gary Graham, chief of the Alberta Mounted Police Transportation Service, said in a statement: “Although automakers have built-in protective measures to prevent drivers from completely disengaging the safety system, these The system is just an auxiliary safety system.” “They are not autonomous driving systems, and the driver still has to shoulder the driving responsibility.”
A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to reporters’ requests for comment. Autopilot is a level 2 semi-autonomous driving system that combines adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, automatic parking, and the recently introduced automatic lane changing functions. The Autopilot system uses a set of sensors including 8 cameras, radar and ultrasound to automatically complete some driving functions, but it also requires the driver to keep in contact with the vehicle at all times.
Traffic investigators have confirmed that Tesla’s Autopilot system is related to multiple fatal car accidents in the past, and the family of the deceased driver has also sued Tesla for abnormal deaths.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk blamed the driver’s overconfidence in the accident involving autonomous driving. Musk said in 2018: “When a serious accident occurs, it is almost always the old drivers, and the problem is more that the drivers are too complacent.” However, Tesla marketed its system as “Autopilot” and it turned out to be Encourage the driver’s complacency.
It is unclear to what extent the Canadian Tesla owner abused Autopilot. Tesla stated that the Autopilot system will only work when it detects that the driver puts his hands on the steering wheel. If the system does not detect that the driver’s hand is placed on the steering wheel, the display in front of it will start to flash, and then an audible warning will be issued. Eventually, Autopilot will automatically shut down.
Since the Autopilot system went live in 2015, Tesla owners have been looking for new ways to deceive the system. When their cars are “automatically” driving on the highway, people always like to sit in the back seat to shoot and upload videos of the car driving automatically. Tesla’s response was to update the software and ask the driver to put his hands on the steering wheel. However, some drivers use a piece of magnetic plastic attached to the steering wheel, simulating human hands applying pressure on the steering wheel to deceive the system.
“Autopilot Buddy” is such a device, the purpose is to make the system feel that the driver’s hand is always on the steering wheel. The US federal regulator issued a ban to prevent the sale of such devices.
People always like to cheat on technology, even if it might cost them their lives.
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