[7a1c9427]

I'm sorry but is everyone here sucked into the "reality-distortion field" that Tesla Auto Pilot seems to be generating? Nothing happens in this video that a competent driver wouldn't have done.

Detailed Explanation: In the UK part of the driving theory test is a "Hazard Perception"[1] exercise that test candidates awareness of hazards around them by playing short video clips and getting the candidates to click when they first spot a hazard they would need to respond to.

When watching the linked video I 'click' at 0:04 when I see the multiple brake lights though the car directly in-front. This coincidentally is when the Tesla responds with its audible warning.

The factors that lead to the Tesla not being involved in an accident in this video were not related to Auto Pilot but due to a competent driver: 1) Maintaining appropriate breaking distance from the car ahead to i. be able to stop in-time but without being tail-ended due to fast breaking ii. have 'thinking distance' to allow for slowed reaction timing 2) Watching the road ahead and noticing solid breaking of ahead vehicles though the directly in-front vehicle. There is NO AUTO PILOT MAGIC IN THIS VIDEO

I do not dispute that in other circumstances and perhaps other videos Tesla Auto Pilot HAS prevented and accident that a human would not have. This video is NOT such an example.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/theory-test/hazard-perception-test

Edit: Please see child comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13272626 clarifying my intentions with this post.

[jasonpeacock]

You comment describes exactly why this is so amazing - the autopilot executes the same as a competent driver! It's magic because it's the first time in human history that we've had such skills available in a car autopilot.

It's like saying cruise-control is worthless because any competent driver can maintain their speed - you're missing the point.

We're achieving parity between autopilots and human drivers, except the autopilot will never be distracted or tired, and always operates with the skill of a competent driver (and many drivers are not competent).

[forgetsusername]

>You comment describes exactly why this is so amazing - the autopilot executes the same as a competent driver!

I can agree with this. Too bad it isn't the default sentiment instead of over-the-top optimism or cynicism.

I don't think anyone here is surprised that people get into stupid, easily avoidable car accidents all the time. The argument seems to be about where the technology currently sits. In this video the Tesla braked and avoided rear-ending the colliding cars; so did the vehicles with no autopilot in the right lane. This is "impressive" to some people, but it's also the bare-minimum level of acceptability for self-driving vehicles.

[JshWright]

> You comment describes exactly why this is so amazing - the autopilot executes the same as a competent driver!

Not just a competent driver, but a competent driver that is primed to be looking for a hazard in a short video clip.

[sangnoir]

> it's the first time in human history that we've had such skills available in a car autopilot

I doubt this assertion is true: lot's of cars with plain old cruise control can select a safe following distance and detect when the car ahead is braking. Roof-mounted LIDAR can see several cars ahead (and behind) and it would be negligent to to apply the same collision avoidance logic to car n+1

[namuol]

> There is NO AUTO PILOT MAGIC IN THIS VIDEO

I think we'd all agree this isn't magic; the point is that it works in spite of the driver. A "competent driver" is going to be especially alert during an exam, but over the course of countless errands and commutes, their guard could be down, their reflexes may suffer due to lack of sleep, etc.

Autopilot doesn't get tired, and never lets its guard down. That's what matters.

[7a1c9427]

I think you may have misinterpreted my comment.

My intention was in no way to underplay or diminish the achievement of Auto Pilot but to simply make the point that: In this video, of this event Auto Pilot adds nothing. In this case the driver was "alert and competent". This video does NOT showcase or demonstrate Auto Pilot preventing an accident, reacting faster or better than a human.

That is my point. People seem to be extolling how Auto Pilot saved that day in this video. It didn't.

[phil21]

How do you know? Driver could have been looking back at his kids for all we know when the car beeped and he then paid attention.

And yes, I would say that the autopilot reacted faster than a competent human driver not expecting a crash while watching a 30 second clip. Probably by time measured in seconds.

I do agree safe following distance made the auto-breaking pretty irrelevant in this specific case as there was plenty of time for a human to react. But it's still impressive to see things working, and a bit of positive public PR hype over this tech can't be an entirely bad thing.

[jkchu]

I agree that some of the headline around this video are a bit overstated, but it is nevertheless a deserving credit to Tesla's autopilot system for handling the incident so well. I also agree that an "alert and competent" human driver would handle the situation the same way, but I don't think it's safe to assume that all or even most drivers are usually "alert and competent".

Imagine if you could be confident that the cars sharing the road with you were all "alert and competent" at all times because they were using a solid autopilot system.

[7a1c9427]

>... works in spite of the driver

You have highlighted a fundamental misunderstanding people have about Auto Pilot in its current form it is an SAE Level 2[1] driver assistance function.

It is not supposed to be functioning in spite of the driver. The driver is in charge and should be responding to events. It is dangerous to behave otherwise - examples include pretty much all Tesla Auto Pilot attributed fatalities.

[1] Level 2: The driver is obliged to detect objects and events and respond if the automated system fails to respond properly. The automated system executes accelerating, braking, and steering. The automated system can deactivate immediately upon takeover by the driver.

Edit: Formating

[Kadin]

Well, yes. The amazing part is that the Autopilot does things that a competent driver would do.

Very often, humans do not do those things. And despite the carnage that results, over more than a century of experience with automobiles, we have not managed to make people significantly better drivers, nor come up with a licensing scheme that does more than weed out the most obviously medically-disqualified or incompetent people. At least here in the US, you take your drivers test (which is a ridiculous, comic farce) exactly once in your life, after which you can basically drive until you are blind, comatose, or--very rarely--you kill someone. But rarely the last one, not because people don't kill each other, but because it rarely results in a license suspension. We've just tacitly accepted that people are bad at driving.

So yeah, bring on the machines.

[pkulak]

Working as well as a "competent" driver (which, as we all know, is already a high bar) is a fantastic first step.

[geocar]

The UK driving test is significantly more rigorous than the US, and it shows: UK drivers are amongst the safest in the world (2nd lowest road fatalities per 100k people; top five per 100k vehicles). The US isn't even in the top fifty (and for calibration to the American reader: Canada is in the top 30, but hey, at least the US beats out Mexico). At the end of the UK practical examination process I would expect all new drivers to be "competent" by this standard.

[millettjon]

Does your source account for number of miles driven per capita?

[geocar]

In road fatalities per bn-vehicle-km[1], UK is second, while US is 17th.

[1]: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/transport/road-safety-annual-re...

We get road fatalities per person and per vehicle from[2]

[2]: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_st...

If we take them together:

    i  name           p÷v       *v/km 
    ------------------------------------
    1  Israel         0.371134  1.96701
    2  United Kingdom 0.5686275 2.047059
    3  Sweden         0.5957447 2.085106
    4  Denmark        0.5223881 2.089552
    5  Ireland        0.5394737 2.103947
    6  Netherlands    0.5666667 2.55
    7  Switzerland    0.7021277 3.019149
    8  Germany        0.6323529 3.098529
    9  Norway         0.7307692 3.215385
    10 Iceland        0.7540984 3.544262
    11 Australia      0.739726  3.846575
    12 France         0.6710526 3.892105
    13 Canada         0.6315789 3.915789
    14 Austria        0.7605634 4.411268
    15 Belgium        0.6261682 4.571028
    16 New Zealand    0.7142857 4.785714
    17 Slovenia       0.6736842 5.12
    18 Finland        1.090909  5.236364
    19 Spain          0.6981132 5.445283
    20 Japan          0.7230769 5.784615
    21 United States  0.8217054 5.834109
    22 South Korea    0.4482759 8.158621
    23 Czech Republic 0.7176471 9.975294
    24 Malaysia       0.8026756 10.11371
    25 Brazil         0.4652087 26.00517

[tim333]

As a Brit, though it would be nice to think we drive better, I think most of the effect is down to road engineering. Roundabouts have lower fatalities than traffic lights for example.

[geocar]

That's because you have that British self-deprecation thing.

However, because I'm not British, I have no problem saying this:

You guys know how to drive, but if it makes you feel better, the Swedes are better.

[TeMPOraL]

> Nothing happens in this video that a competent driver wouldn't have done.

If you go by the street definition of driving competence, then you get exactly the accidents like the one on this video.

Safe driving distance. The primary thing most "competent" drivers don't give a fuck about. Second being speed limits.

And yes, I understand many people drive that way not because they want to, but because other drivers aren't leaving them a choice. Ironically, this area is already heavily regulated. What I believe is needed is much, much stronger enforcement of those regulations.