Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier

Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by Naritai on Friday April 06, 2018 @09:50AM (#16773179)

To directly answer your question: people buy autopilot so they can check their phone while commuting down the freeway to work. I was talking to a group of people about the difficulties of commuting in the Santa Clara Valley, and one guy shrugged and said, "just get a Tesla, move to the left lane, and manage email until you get to work".

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by iainmerrick on Friday April 06, 2018 @09:51AM (#16773191)

Yikes! I really hope that's a joke...

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by deelowe on Friday April 06, 2018 @11:12AM (#16773830)

What else would people be using it for? It's a "drive my car for me while I send this text" mode that allows you to take your attention off the road every few seconds. Otherwise, the system makes no sense at all.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by vkou on Friday April 06, 2018 @12:03PM (#16774275)

Once you're engrossed in your phone, you're not taking attention off the road for a 'few seconds'. You're essentially letting autopilot drive for you. Which Tesla explicitly says you're not supposed to do.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by deelowe on Friday April 06, 2018 @12:07PM (#16774323)

Agreed.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by PaulHoule on Friday April 06, 2018 @10:29AM (#16773480)

I see people attempting that on the roads around here without the Tesla. That is why I always honk at cell phone drivers. Sometimes I wish I had a fully-charged Marx bank in the trunk.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by iainmerrick on Friday April 06, 2018 @05:09PM (#16777468)

It should be illegal. It is in many countries.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by PaulHoule on Thursday April 12, 2018 @11:41AM (#16822072)

It is in New York.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by pjc50 on Friday April 06, 2018 @10:10AM (#16773332)

Proponents keep touting this as the real benefit of self-driving cars, so it's hardly surprising that some people have taken them at their word and not realised that the car is not, in fact, truly autonomous and may drop out at any moment.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by dwighttk on Friday April 06, 2018 @03:20PM (#16776505)

or not drop out and drive you into a barrier

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by coenhyde on Friday April 06, 2018 @11:52AM (#16774182)

It's not a joke. I was in a bus crossing the Bay Bridge a few weeks ago. I was watching a Tesla driver play on his phone. He didn't look up once in the span where I had visibility (about half of the bridge).

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by walrus01 on Friday April 06, 2018 @12:27PM (#16774491)

I have seen pictures of iPads strapped to steering wheel in Nissan Altimas, so yes people are really this dumb. Airbag issues entirely aside.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by lifeformed on Friday April 06, 2018 @03:16PM (#16776474)

Oh god. Imagine the last thing you see before dying is your candy crush score propelled at your face at 200 mph.

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Re:Another Tesla on autopilot steers towards a barrier by soperj on Friday April 06, 2018 @03:39PM (#16776668)

Years ago I saw someone reading a book while driving...

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