Tesla test drive

[Undertoad]

We've discussed this when there were those sudden uncontrollable vehicle accelerations in the news a few years ago

Did we? Because IMO every time it's investigated it turns out to be pedal misapplication, like the original Audi story

and that turns out to be fixed by taking the decision-making process out of the hands of humans.

About 35000 dead every year from accidents, mostly human error... the only question is can the cars do better...

Because the thing is, the car was driving better than I was, when I took it over... I increased the chances of an incident by insisting on driving... I am more susceptible to mistakes than the Tesla, which so far hasn't made any...

[glatt]

My recollection was that the majority of the time it was blamed on mixing up the brake and gas pedal, but that there were a few troubling cases that still didn't fit that explanation.

We discussed it in this thread and there was never a link to a final official report, but Flint said he heard on the radio that 74 of 75 Toyota cases were blamed on driver error.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

About 35000 dead every year from accidents, mostly human error... the only question is can the cars do better...

I think the answer is YES. Cars can do better. Absolutely.

For a time, anyway. What happens when the car ages and the systems fail?

Ford Motor Company is recalling 746,842 ... vehicles ....

The coating on portions of the Restraint Control Module (RCM) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit board may short. The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to malfunction when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.

Once the cars drive themselves, the Autonomous Drive Control Module circuit board may also suffer from a cracked coating and moisture infiltration after a few years of use may cause shorts. What if the first sign of such a problem is the car suddenly swerving off the road?

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by glatt

What if the first sign of such a problem is the car suddenly swerving off the road?

Or the Collision Avoidance System slams on the brakes at 80 mph in interstate traffic?

I don't like automatic stuff. Not on my computer. Not on my car. And not on my car's computer.