Nobody was killed or even injured.
Advertisement
Tesla removed the word “autopilot” and a Chinese term for “self-driving” from its China website after a driver in Beijing who crashed in “autopilot” mode complained that the vehicle maker overplayed the function’s capability and misled buyers. “Sources with knowledge of the Autopilot programme told us that the new suite will keep the current front-facing radar and add more around the vehicle, likely one in each corner”, the site said, adding: “Additionally, the system will feature a new front-facing triple camera system for which we are told Tesla started installing new housing in cars this week”.
Meanwhile, Tesla claims it has approximately 600 owners in MI that have to travel out of state to have their vehicles properly serviced. The Aug. 2 accident occurred when the Tesla hit a vehicle parked partially in the highway, per Reuters.
The company says it did revise some language on the site to make it clearer to drivers that Autopilot is a driver-assist system and not a self-driving system.
But in a recent statement the firm reiterated the need for drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and be prepared to take over at any time. The company says drivers using Autopilot must keep their hands on the wheel and be ready to take over. The crash raised questions not only about Autopilot technology, but also about how its limitations are or aren’t being communicated to drivers.
Tesla cited statistics that indicate Tesla cars are involved in far fewer crashes per miles driven than the average motor vehicle.
Sergeant Kim Montes, the public affairs officer for the Florida Highway Patrol, told Business Insider that the Tesla crash remains under investigation, but the homicide investigator’s estimated completion should be by the end of the month.
The agency’s director, Mark Rosenfeld, said in July that self-driving cars hold great promise for safety improvements and that “no one incident will derail the Department of Transportation and NHTSA from its mission to improve safety on the roads by pursuing new life-saving technologies”.
Advertisement
© 2016 Los Angeles Times under contract with NewsEdge. If the computer doesn’t sense a driver touching the steering wheel, a warning will be issued and if the warning is ignored, the auto will slow down on its own. As it stands now, Tesla is doing a disservice to the future of self-driving cars.
