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by madaxe_again 3632 days ago
Suppose I'm driving a "normal" car. I have my hands on the wheel, but I am reading a book. I hit a tree.

Is the auto-maker responsible? They advertised the car as having cruise control.

Call me old, but I remember similar hysteria when cruise control systems started appearing. People honestly thought it would be like autopilot or better - and ploughed into highway dividers, forests, other traffic, you name it, at 55mph.
3 comments
CPLX 3632 days ago
Cruise control is supposed to control the speed of the car. If you set it for 55 and the car accelerated to 90 it would be considered dangerous and defective.

The steering control is supposed to control the steering of the car. If you set it for "road" and it decides to steer for "hard fixed objects" how should we regard it?

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forgetsusername 3632 days ago
>Is the auto-maker responsible?

Why would the auto-maker be responsible for your distracted driving, and what does it have to do with cruise control?

Some of the uproar about these incidents is related to the fact that Tesla marketing is implying far more automation and safety here than the technology can actually provide. And apparently it can cost lives.

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givinguflac 3632 days ago
Exactly, they shouldn't be responsible for distracted driving. Autopilot can certainly get better, but you're being willfully ignorant if you don't believe that these Tesla drivers with their hands off the wheel don't fall under distracted driving. Could autopilot improve? Yes. Is the driver at fault here for not staying alert and responsible for the car they chose to drive? Absolutely.

Please show me a source for the claim that they're "implying far more automation" as everything I've ever seen from Tesla on this says hey dummy, don't stop paying attention or take your hands off the wheel.

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UnoriginalGuy 3632 days ago
> Please show me a source for the claim that they're "implying far more automation"

It is literally called "autopilot."

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chronolitus 3632 days ago
Are you implying that the drivers involved were not even aware that they were using the feature negligently?

Even after they used it for miles, it having certainly audibly reminded them many times, over months, that they must have their hands on the wheel?

Maybe if someone is deaf, reads "autopilot", jumps in the car and crashes, the name is at fault. Otherwise, unlikely.

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epmaybe 3632 days ago
Sure, the driver is at fault, but Tesla is almost encouraging this by not having a shorter threshold for keeping hands off the wheel.
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forgetsusername 3632 days ago
>Please show me a source for the claim that they're "implying far more automation"

Th key word is "implying". Of course they say "keep your hands on the wheel" in the instruction manual.

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cmurf 3632 days ago
What if the manufacturer is permitting conditions that incentivizes distracting driving? Like not requiring hands on the wheel?

It's also a problem if it permits driving faster than the speed limit.

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JoeAltmaier 3632 days ago
Its normal to exceed the speed limit e.g. passing. No absolute limit can be arbitrarily set without tying the pilot's hands/limiting their options which could make the roads more dangerous.
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cmurf 3632 days ago
It may be common to exceed to speed limit when passing, but it is illegal. The setting of these speed limits is meant to be objective, maybe are sometimes subjective, but it is wrong to call them arbitrary.

If the car autopilot software permits faster than legal speed driving, the manufacturer is taking on liability in the case of speed related accidents and damage.

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JoeAltmaier 3632 days ago
No its not actually illegal. Here's an example regulation from Washington state:

http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.425

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JoeAltmaier 3632 days ago
It costs lives because folks are toying with this new thing. If they'd just use it as intended, they'd achieve the higher levels of safety demonstrated in testing.

Yeah, I just blamed the victims for misusing autopilot. Like anything else, its a tool for a certain purpose. Its not foolproof. Testing its limits can get you hurt, just like a power saw.

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Spooky23 3632 days ago
It's a completely different conversation. Cruise control maintains speed only. It still requires positive driver control.

It's controls are such that it disengages gracefully. You notice a problem, instinctually hit the brake and disability cruise.

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