Elon Musk's Push to Expand Tesla's Driver Assistance to Cities Rankles a Top Safety Authority

[mahatmakanejeeves]

WSJ NEWS EXCLUSIVE | TECH

Elon Musk’s Push to Expand Tesla’s Driver Assistance to Cities Rankles a Top Safety Authority

Tesla plans to expand access to Full Self-Driving system and defends its tech; safety official says more work is needed

By Rebecca Elliott
https://twitter.com/rfelliott
[e-mail]
Sept. 19, 2021 5:30 am ET

Tesla Inc. is readying a major upgrade of its driver-assistance software. The country’s top crash investigator says the move may be premature.

Chief Executive Elon Musk last week said drivers would soon be able to request an enhanced version of what Tesla calls its “Full Self-Driving Capability.” The upgrade is expected to add a feature intended to help vehicles navigate cities, expanding the suite of driver-assistance tools that had been designed mainly for highways.

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[jimfields33]

1. I'm all for cars that basically drive themselves

However, I don’t understand why they don’t start with rural areas then suburbs and finally cities. I know cities are most challenging but to get the kinks fixed, I’d think going rural first would eventually allow for full success.

[Xoan]

2. Just another way for oligarchs ...

to control.

[Dream Girl]

5. Huh?

[Kablooie]

3. To try the new beta software you have to agree to ...

Let Tesla monitor your driving for 7 days. They will evaluate you and if you are a safe enough driver the software will be activated. Also while you use it if you lose vigilance, (It will monitor where you are looking at all times), you lose access to the software.

It's not a finished product yet and they will make that clear.

[hlthe2b]

4. It has arleady been open season on pedestrians in recent years... How can it not get worse

with driverless vehicles? It would be nice to be wrong, but...

Pedestrian Deaths Soar in 2020 Despite Precipitous Drop in Driving During Pandemic
https://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-releases/GHSA/Ped-Spotlight-Addendum21

Fatality Facts 2019Pedestrians
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedestrians

Pedestrian motor vehicle crash deaths have increased 51 percent since reaching their low point in 2009 and account for 17 percent of crash fatalities. The rates of pedestrian deaths in motor vehicle crashes per 100,000 people are highest for people ages 70 and older.

Pedestrian deaths occur primarily in urban areas. Engineering measures that separate vehicles and pedestrians such as sidewalks, refuge islands, overpasses and underpasses, and barriers can reduce the problem. Increased illumination, improved signal timing at intersections, and beacons that alert drivers to stop at crosswalks when pedestrians are present also can be effective. Because traffic speeds affect the risk and severity of pedestrian crashes, reducing speeds can lower pedestrian deaths.

[Dream Girl]

6. This has nothing to do with driverless cars.

Have any pederians been hit by driverless cars? I would venture to say they’re safer than human driven cars.

[hlthe2b]

7. Yes. They most certainly have. They don't recognize jay-walking.

This is not a theoretical problem! And as the statistics I previously posted point out, rate of pedestrian deaths IN CITIES have never been higher--even with less people driving due to COVID in 2020. And the CITIES are where these vehicles are being expanded.

https://www.npr.org/2019/11/07/777438412/feds-say-self-driving-uber-suv-did-not-recognize-jaywalking-pedestrian-in-fatal-

Feds Say Self-Driving Uber SUV Did Not Recognize Jaywalking Pedestrian In Fatal Crash
The self-driving Uber SUV involved in a crash that killed a Tempe, Ariz., woman last year did not recognize her as a jaywalking pedestrian and its braking system was not designed to avoid an imminent collision, according to a federal report released this week.

The conclusions by the National Transportation Safety Board were published ahead of a Nov. 19 meeting in Washington, D.C., called to discuss the cause of the crash and safety recommendations.

The self-driving vehicle struck and killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg on March 18, 2018, as she was walking across the street with her bicycle outside of a crosswalk.

According to the NTSB report, the SUV had "a fusion" of three sensor systems — radar, lidar and a camera — designed to detect an object and determine its trajectory. However, the system could not determine whether Herzberg was a pedestrian, vehicle, or bicycle. It also failed to correctly predict her path.

"The system design did not include a consideration for jaywalking pedestrians," the report said.

There have likewise been close calls that did not end up in fatalities...

What Happens When Self-Driving Cars Kill People?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/09/26/what-happens-with-self-driving-cars-kill-people/?sh=c858d8f405ce

[hlthe2b]

8. It has EVERYTHING to do with FULL SELF-DRIVING TECH in cities. EVERYTHING

[Dream Girl]

9. How many pedestrians have been hit by driverless vehicles? One jaywalker with a bicycle.

Guess they need to fine tune the software. I have ZERO doubt these driverless vehicles are safer. They are ever vigilant, don’t have vision issues and don’t get distracted by stupid shit. I live in the SF Bay Area and the big story about driverless vehicles is the “sleeping driver” ….some guy who drives around SF in his Tesla while he’s asleep. Pedestrians are not getting mowed down left and right. Do jaywalkers ever get hit by human driven vehicles? I would venture to guess a few dozen a week. No software fix for that.

[hlthe2b]

10. I have provided you with statistics for increased ped fatalitiies, for a documented incident of

driverless technology killing a woman. And that included the investigative report that showed the programming fails to take jay-walking or other unanticipated walking patterns into account.

I do not have access to every state and locale's data on every pedestrian accident--even for those localities that actually collect the data. That is not my field of study. Yet, I provided you with sufficient documentation to show you it IS an issue.

The issue is whether or not this adds to risk already at high levels for pedestrians. There is every reason to predict that it will.

Believe what you want. Belief is not fact. And that safety experts are expressing general alarm at increased risks in city use is not coming from simple bias against the technology.

[Dream Girl]

11. This one incident occurred in 2018 and involved a jaywalker with a bicycle. The AI didn't know

How to interpret that. Since then, I promise you that there are some very, very talented people working on perfecting this technology. I’ve worked in tech and tech and there are teams assigned to every aspect of a software platform. This fear of driverless cars is kind of like how people felt when motorized vehicles began to take over from horse driven vehicles in cities. People just didn’t trust those new dangled cars. Homeless carriages.

[hlthe2b]

12. Those who die don't think so. And there have been other MV fatalities. Test 'em in rural areas first

and extensively. Pedestrian and bike safety are paramount in cities and those individuals are not always predictable to pre-programmed technology. And don't assume dry conditions will translate to snow/ice safety, either.

That is all the safety experts are asking and THE REST OF US have a right to expect, your "Luddite" snark aside.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. Briefly delurking:

First, the disclosures:
1) I do not own a Tesla, or any other car with driver-assistance software
2) I'm not opposed to owning such a car
3) I'm not persuaded that people all by themselves are doing such a great job behind the wheel as it is.
4) I am certain that the driver-assistance software installed five years from now will make the current driver-assistance software look like Windows 3.1.

Pedestrian Deaths Soar in 2020 Despite Precipitous Drop in Driving During Pandemic

With fewer people on the road, drivers are putting the pedal to the metal.

Pandemic set off deadly rise in speeding that hasn’t stopped

By DAVID SHARP
August 8, 2021

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Motorists put the pedal to the metal during the pandemic and police are worried as roads get busy with the final stretch of summer travel.

The latest data shows the number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more than a decade even though cars and trucks drove fewer miles during the pandemic.

“Summer is an incredibly dangerous time. And it culminates with Labor Day, that last hurrah,” said Pam Shadel Fischer of the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Traffic data indicates the higher death toll was related to higher average speeds in conjunction with more of those on the roads driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and a slight decline in seatbelt use.

Motorists do not seem to be slowing down.

“People are flying down the roads,” Maine State Police Cpl. Doug Cropper said of summer traffic on Interstate 95. “It’s just ridiculous.”

{snip}

This puts pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists at big disadvantage. The force of an impact goes up with the square of velocity.

Natural Laws, Force of Impact

Force of impact is the force generated when objects meet. The faster you drive, the greater the impact or striking power of your vehicle. The laws of physics determine that the force of impact increases with the square of the increase in speed. So, if you double the speed of a car, you increase its force of impact four times. If you triple the speed, the impact is nine times as great. So striking something at these speeds is like driving off a one, four, and nine story building respectively.

{snip}

If you're in a crosswalk, and a Hummer bumps into you at 1 mile per hour (mph), you'll be upset. If you're in a crosswalk, and a Honda Fit plows into you at 80 mph, you'll be dead.

I suspect that databases of traffic incidents are kept by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). You won't be able to access IIHS's database, but you should be able to access NHTSA's database.

Thanks to the both of you for writing.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Woman in Tesla arrested after using Autopilot while drunk, unconscious

A woman who apparently passed out while her Tesla was on Autopilot and hit a Southern California freeway wall was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said.

Link to tweet

Woman in Tesla arrested after using Autopilot while drunk, unconscious