Tesla's own data confirms Full Self-Driving/Autopilot was on in fatal stop-sign crash
A Tesla ran a stop sign and killed a man, Full Self-Driving/Autopilot was on
An Electrek investigation reveals that a Tesla Model 3 involved in a fatal crash in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey, had its driver-assist system engaged, according to Tesla's own report to NHTSA. The car ran a stop sign and killed 82-year-old Stephen Field. Tesla marked the system as 'Verified Engaged' but redacted key details, including the software version and crash narrative. The intersection suggests Full Self-Driving was likely active, as basic Autopilot doesn't handle stop signs. Tesla's pre-crash speed of 4 mph hints at a rolling stop, echoing a 2022 recall issue.
A stop sign is not complicated. Whether a self-driving system read it and rolled through it anyway is exactly the kind of thing the public, the family, and the troopers still investigating this deserve to know.
- popularonion
> Reading a stop sign and deciding whether to stop is a City-Streets function, and that’s FSD. Basic Autopilot is built as a highway lane-keeping system, and it does not respond to stop signs. So a driver-assist car verified engaged as it ran a stop sign was, most likely, running FSD.
This just isn't true, "Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control" is a feature of basic autopilot on Model 3s.
https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/2017_2023_model3/en_eu/GU...
- rco8786
I don't know anything about this specific case but this exact thing will be a major barrier for autonomous vehicles to overcome. Instead of benchmarking AVs against the current, human-caused number of vehicular deaths - people will naturally benchmark AVs to 0 and treat every instance of death as a failure of AVs, even if the reality is that AVs end up 99% safer than human controlled vehicles.
- throwaway2037
This part is wild to me:
> Subject vehicle (Tesla) pre-crash speed: 4 mph
If true, how could the driver of the other car have been killed?
- delichon
Tesla now has ~40 level 4 automated taxis in operation with no pedals or steering wheel. When these have an accident they can't blame a non-existent driver for mashing a non-existent accelerator pedal. And they are their own insurance company. A few fatalities in the Cybercab could squelch the whole rollout, even if the stats show it's safer than human drivers.
As a human driver with declining capabilities who will need level 4 autopilot before long to stay independent, I'm rooting for FSD.
- tzs
> Reading a stop sign and deciding whether to stop is a City-Streets function, and that’s FSD. Basic Autopilot is built as a highway lane-keeping system, and it does not respond to stop signs. So a driver-assist car verified engaged as it ran a stop sign was, most likely, running FSD.
I don't understand this part. My understanding is the basic Autopilot is very similar to the what on other cars would be adaptive cruise control plus lane finding/lane keeping.
If so, isn't the expected behavior that if you do not manually intervene at stop lights and stop signs it will remain engaged and drive right on through?
- maerF0x0
I can't help but think we need a more extensive "Flight Data Recorder" sort of object for, at least, self-driving cars if not all of them. Event Data Recorder's are coming and mandated for 2021+ but I think they need to go further, IMO. Police in my area already do not bother responding, and insurance just does 50/50 unless theirs dash cams. Why not just make them integrated and mandatory along with other telemetry?
- prmoustache
Why didn't the driver stop and why does it say "a Tesla ran a stop sign" and not "a driver in a Tesla ran a stop sign" ?
- thewanderer1983
Do you know how humans run stop lights and kill people, how does it compare?