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#4452264 - 12/07/18 04:19 PM TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK  
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finally getting through a backlog of emails. received this gem from a colleague of a sleeping drunk tesla driver.


The California Highway Patrol had some trouble pulling over a Tesla Model S early on Friday morning, after the driver was determined to be asleep behind the wheel of the electric sedan while it was operating on Autopilot, Palo Alto Online reports.

At approximately 3:37 a.m. a CHP officer driving south on Highway 101 in Redwood City noticed a Model S traveling at 70 miles per hour, which is above the posted limit. When the CHP officer pulled alongside the car he reportedly noticed that the driver appeared to be asleep while the car was in motion. After a few miles attempting to wake the driver with lights and sirens, another police cruiser joined the pursuit and one of the police cars positioned itself in front of the Tesla, which caused it to slow down as part of normal Autopilot operation.

All in all, it took about seven miles and seven minutes for the Tesla to come to a stop in the right hand lane. It took officers a few more minutes to wake up the driver, who was taken to a Shell station where he reportedly failed a field sobriety test, Palo Alto Online reports. Alexander Samek, the chair of the Los Altos planning commission, was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence and was taken to the San Mateo County Jail.

https://autoweek.com/article/autono...sleeping-drunk-driver-7-miles-police-say


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#4452265 - 12/07/18 04:22 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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Although this is not the intended purpose of the autopilot function, I have to admit I am impressed that it basically saved him from potential death or grave bodily injury.


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4452268 - 12/07/18 04:26 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: letterboy1]  
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Originally Posted by letterboy1
Although this is not the intended purpose of the autopilot function, I have to admit I am impressed that it basically saved him from potential death or grave bodily injury.


I agree! I was worried when first reading the story that the car crashed and the driver ended up getting killed or injuried. or even worse would be if his car hit another vehicle.


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#4452269 - 12/07/18 04:28 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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Originally Posted by Patrocles
Originally Posted by letterboy1
Although this is not the intended purpose of the autopilot function, I have to admit I am impressed that it basically saved him from potential death or grave bodily injury.


I agree! I was worried when first reading the story that the car crashed and the driver ended up getting killed or injuried. or even worse would be if his car hit another vehicle.

Good point - other's could have suffered.


The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
#4452270 - 12/07/18 04:33 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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Based on what I’ve seen in the South Florida area, I would imagine that most people can’t wait until fully autonomous cars are a reality. That means they can have their faces glued to their smartphones without any worry of crashing!


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4452275 - 12/07/18 05:05 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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If anything at all, that is the functional justification for self-piloting cars. But of course they shouldn't break the speed limit while doing so, and needless to say, the Tesla "Autopilot" is anything but.

That said, semi-autonomous cars that require human supervision are about the dumbest idea ever.

#4452350 - 12/08/18 02:00 AM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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I'm not much of a fan of the self driving concept, but I sure would love self parking.

I guess I would make limited use of an autopilot in certain situations out on a highway. Maybe during a huge sneezing fit, or being pressed for time, being very hungry, and having a bit of a snack. Or maybe if having to make a 911 call to report something.

#4452396 - 12/08/18 02:14 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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Problem:

People have sub-standard skills when operating motor vehicles

Solution:
Allow people to be even less involved with operating motor vehicles, making them have even worse skills


What kind of car is that? What does it matter? When I drive it, I'm Steve McQueen
#4452401 - 12/08/18 02:30 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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There's really no middle-ground when it comes to this issue. You either allow people full control over their vehicles or you make the vehicles 100% autonomous. Anything in between requires too much technical ability and knowledge from the users and we know how that will pan out.

Heck, I have users at work who wouldn't have the slightest clue how to do their job if their desktop icons went missing for some reason.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4452451 - 12/08/18 09:55 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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In 2017 there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. - if we only save 10,000 lives by using autonomous vehicles then its a win !


"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
#4452454 - 12/08/18 10:27 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Haggart]  
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Originally Posted by Haggart
In 2017 there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. - if we only save 10,000 lives by using autonomous vehicles then its a win !


If driving licenses weren't handed out like free candy, there would be less idiots on the road.


There was only 16 squadrons of RAF fighters that used 100 octane during the BoB.
The Fw190A could not fly with the outer cannon removed.
There was no Fw190A-8s flying with the JGs in 1945.
#4452457 - 12/08/18 10:56 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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I wished I lived in a place where owning a car wasn't necessary. Someday I'll have to replace my '08 Element EX and yet again spend money on goofy ugly. Yeah, the Element is freaking fugly but was practical for what we needed and stickered under $20k. But I don't want another fugly car and that's all I see today, especially in my price range (the grills on some of these monstrosities).

Also, I miss the simple stick/clutch and without the annoying screens and electronics...

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]


And in the future they'll drive themselves so you can sleep? Good. Then I can forget how ugly and non-engaging my car is. biggrin

Man and machine...NOT.

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Two suns in the sunset, hmph
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#4452458 - 12/08/18 10:56 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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Haggart Offline
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Cars are a luxury that someday will no longer be possible to have - they are a large source of pollution, they are wasteful (2,500 lb car to carry one person around) and inefficient means of transportation especially given the fact that eventually there are so many cars that you barely get anywhere. While i've always enjoyed my own ride and cars have been very important to modern transportation their place in societies will eventually end - replaced by more advanced mass transportation methods and hopefully we can reclaim some of the land we buried under tons of concrete and asphalt.


"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
#4452474 - 12/09/18 01:40 AM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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Pfffft. Cars are a blast. Cars are marvelous devices. Sometimes it takes getting the right one.

I actually enjoy driving.


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Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#4452480 - 12/09/18 02:17 AM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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I enjoy driving too ..... but not so much in the city and I'm glad we lived in a time when we could enjoy our cars and the many vacations they've made possible. Idk what life would be like without them but glad i won't find out.


"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
#4452501 - 12/09/18 11:08 AM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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I disagree strongly that the answer to a problem is automatically to add tech until the problem is solved. Adding complexity is rarely the effective way to solve problems.

Because of that, I do not believe that the solution to motor vehicle deaths is to add tech to cars. Just because you can add tech, that doesn't make it the best solution. The best solution is to make people actually know how to drive. Today's cars are the safest ever. People 50 years ago- without the tech of today- were in general probably much better drivers.

I think fatality stats are a slippery slope. We can slice and dice and point to multiple factors- DUI for instance. But banning alcohol for example won't do anything to address the fact that as a culture, the USA has people who are obsessed with looking at cellphones and not the road. That would be a political solution to make people feel that they made a difference in my opinion, and I feel that's reckless thinking.

To fix a problem, I always advocate making the coarse adjustment first, and then fine tune as needed. I don't clean the glass and then replace the broken window. Our roads and infrastructure are bad. Fix them. Take the gas tax money and use it for what it's meant for instead of a general slush fund in some states. All states? Meanwhile make people required to have effective driver's ed as a necessity for insurance. Require insurance to get a registration. Sorry NH, I visit your state and I see that you're not highly skilled as a group. When a license is up for renewal, check to make sure that the person can do more than wait in a line. Motor vehicle inspections should be more than making sure the cars don't pollute and the owner has paid his bills.

But none o that is sexy or dramatic, so we'll just discount it. Tech is sexy and dramatic, and the funeral parlors are in full swing anyway so why bother making sure an 18 year old looks both ways before he backs out of a driveway? Let the car do it for him as he picks his nose and his Dad takes a selfie.


What kind of car is that? What does it matter? When I drive it, I'm Steve McQueen
#4452505 - 12/09/18 12:04 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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You make some good points 426. All this new tech, imho, takes away from the SA of motor vehicle operators. Why do I have to keep my eyes on the road when the vehicle will beep when I am wandering from my lane or apply the brakes if I get to close to the vehicle ahead of me.


There was only 16 squadrons of RAF fighters that used 100 octane during the BoB.
The Fw190A could not fly with the outer cannon removed.
There was no Fw190A-8s flying with the JGs in 1945.
#4452612 - 12/10/18 06:15 AM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Patrocles]  
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"People 50 years ago" - that would be 1968. I don't think that there's a way to objectively ascertain whether they were "better drivers" - they definitely killed each other and themselves much more often (partly due to critical safety tech not widely introduced, especially the three-point seat belt), drunk driving was way more prevalent, and HAD there been smartphones back in the day, I'm pretty confident that the drivers of 1968 would have had their eyes glued to the magic gizmos as well.

There's always a mix of careful drivers and those who aren't in the general population. Even without a cellphone or while being absolutely sober people still make mistakes now and then. Often enough other drivers will compensate for such mistakes. Not every driving error results in an accident. Where accidents occurred 50 years ago, fatalities were much more likely (so at least in that respect throwing more tech at the problem actually was the answer).

Good roads often invite people to drive faster; this in turn increases the chances of accidents, and accidents being more harmful. I'm still not advocating that we should let the road infrastructure rot away, just pointing out that "fixing roads" is not necessarily going to turn people into better drivers. Improving the quality of driving lessons? I'm all for it, but even then there's limits to how much one can influence by it. My impression is that the quality of driving skills in the US has, uhm, "room for improvement". But even if we compare it to the relatively strict German regiment of minimum age of 18 to get the license in the first place, of about 25 hours of mandatory driving lessons, and two exams, accident statistics still show that inexperienced drivers (age 18...25) have a vastly higher risk of being involved in accidents, hitting the minimum around age 45. It's pretty obvious that the bulk of learning takes place after you got the license; the license is actually just a permission to switch to unsupervised self-learning. It's like raising kids - as a parent, you only have so much control over which lessons will stick. Much of the education occurs within the peer group.


The reality is, while humans bring the general skill sets for responsible driving, even diligent people sometimes make mistakes, and the majority of people aren't very diligent to begin with. Most people probably have an underdeveloped sense for dangerous situations, judging from Youtube dashcam videos (okay, there is a selection bias to pick the worst). By the time they realize that they're in trouble, it's usually too late to still influence the outcome in a meaningful way. IOW, you can't fix stupid. So then, maybe the answer IS to take driving out of the hands of fallible humans, even if that makes the world of tomorrow a less exciting place.

#4452641 - 12/10/18 01:50 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Ssnake]  
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Originally Posted by Ssnake
If anything at all, that is the functional justification for self-piloting cars. But of course they shouldn't break the speed limit while doing so, and needless to say, the Tesla "Autopilot" is anything but.

That said, semi-autonomous cars that require human supervision are about the dumbest idea ever.


Right, I have lost count of how many car reviewers and sites have called for Tesla to drop the "autopilot" misnomer from their cars software code that exists today. Tesla has made some changes to the marketing and promotion of "autopilot" in their cars. last I read many critics believe tesla needs to get the software to level 3 or higher before they feel the company should be pushing the "autopilot" option.


Animal Mother > Rambo+ChuckNorris
#4452669 - 12/10/18 03:38 PM Re: TESLA ON AUTOPILOT DROVE 7 MILES WITH SLEEPING DRUNK [Re: Haggart]  
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Originally Posted by Haggart
Cars are a luxury that someday will no longer be possible to have - they are a large source of pollution, they are wasteful (2,500 lb car to carry one person around) and inefficient means of transportation especially given the fact that eventually there are so many cars that you barely get anywhere. While i've always enjoyed my own ride and cars have been very important to modern transportation their place in societies will eventually end - replaced by more advanced mass transportation methods and hopefully we can reclaim some of the land we buried under tons of concrete and asphalt.


I think our traditional concept of a "car" might slowly disappear, but never completely, as the form will likely shift to something similar. Many of us don't want to live in urban metroplexes, packed with people, customs, beliefs and parroted opinions we dislike or oppose, so some form of individual transportation will continue to exist in rural areas. These cars might shift from gasoline powered to electric or even fuel cell(whenever the hell they perfect this), but they'll still be around. Large cities though will probably ban them at some point, though I do think self-driving cars will be an in-between compromise, with all of them eventually networked to a computer-controlled grid where an all-seeing AI routes each and every vehicle like packets through a router.

I've always found it ridiculous that we need a 3000 lb object to transport a single person here or there while burning hydrocarbons that are 70% wasted due inefficiency. If everyone were whisked around in 500 lb carriages--or something similar, our resources might be less wasted.

But I have fun in my car, and until they ban them, I'll keep driving my own because of the freedom it provides.

Last edited by Mr_Blastman; 12/10/18 03:39 PM.
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