First Self-Driving Car Fatality... Tesla Owner Dies In Collision With A Truck

I thought this would be relevant to forum users Tesla driver killed in crash while using car's 'Autopilot'.

It will be interesting to see who gets the blame... the truck driver or the car's computer.

Saw this earlier on another site. Only a matter of time before those fancy new automated trucks they're testing gets involved in something worse. I'd say our jobs are pretty safe for now.

This paragraph was in the article link:

Tesla says that before Autopilot can be used, drivers have to acknowledge that the system is an "assist feature" that requires a driver to keep both hands on the wheel at all times. Drivers are told they need to "maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle" while using the system, and they have to be prepared to take over at any time, the statement said

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An assist feature...key point.

Having to manage the systems currently installed in the tractors I drive, they typically mistake inanimate objects like overpasses, large signs, and tunnels as moving obstructions and invoke emergency braking. A serious issue IMO, and potentially more dangerous because it's one more unexpected event we need to be wary of.

Although any loss of life is tragic and sad, the legal precedent that may be established resulting form this accident should be interesting.

they typically mistake inanimate objects like overpasses, large signs, and tunnels as moving obstructions and invoke emergency braking

We had this problem and it was suggested we get the sensitivity of the sensor adjusted. So, off to freightliner we went...technician found a plastic bag lodged in behind the sensor. Funny, except for the odd collision warning from overhead signs, the sensor rarely invokes the emergency braking system now. But we have a new item added to our pre trip.

The part about this story that really adds to the controversy is that, from the sounds of it, the truck driver was likely at fault. If I understand it correctly, the truck driver turned in front of the car, and the car went underneath the trailer. In other words, that truck driver didn't have enough time to safely complete the turn, but he went for it anyway, likely assuming the other driver would hit the brakes. I don't know--I wasn't there and the article isn't very clear--but if the truck driver really did turn when he shouldn't have, it's a loss on both sides.

I think the vast majority of collisions could be avoided if people would choose to take driving seriously, drive carefully, and obey the rules of the road. But many people don't take driving seriously at all, even joking with their friends about how crazy their driving is. I wish I could say that truckers drive better, since we're the professionals and have been trained more extensively, but it's no secret that there are still many, many truckers who drive just as badly as the non-commercial drivers.

I think, for obvious reasons that have already been discussed in this thread, that autonomous vehicles are not the answer, for now anyway. At the very least, they need to be much more reliable before being released to the public (yes, even semi-autonomous vehicles).

What we really need is for people to grow up and think of safety first behind the wheel. I think stricter enforcement would be a great place to start. The problem is, if you read those stupid comments at the bottom of articles like the one linked above, you'll find that alot of people have already made up their mind that autonomous vehicles are the way to go. Even though (from what we're told in the article) the car made a mistake, plenty of people are still going to be sticking to their guns since the truck driver will likely be considered "at fault." Even when Google's self driving car had a collision with a bus a while back and was almost certainly at fault, some people still blamed the bus driver.

I don't think self-driving trucks will be out for a while, but I do think they're coming eventually. I just hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime... and I'm still young.

I don't really think they can expect to have an "assist feature" that drives the car and expect the driver to always be ready to take over. Yeah, that's how cruise control works. but that's not the same as steering. If you remove the necessity for the driver to keep their eyes on the road at all times, the driver won't always be paying attention. I'd guess that they probably realize this but it's a "CYA" warning.

I think self-driving trucks would be a good idea if it freed people from that kind of labor so they could do other jobs, but the way our system works, it would just make rich people richer and make other people unemployed.

Truck was traveling west (right to left) in left turn lane, turning left on NE 140th CT. Tesla was traveling east (left to right) in outside lane. According to source; if Tesla had not gone between the trailer wheels, existing safety devices would have prevented serious injuries. Until the windshield actually impacted the trailer neither the car nor the driver had a clue. It was pretty much a 90 degree Tbone. I read reports the truck driver claimed he never saw the Tesla. Google maps shows flat road.

NTSB: Trucker partially to blame in fatal 2016 crash involving Tesla sedan operating autonomously

NTSB concluded the driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the crash failed to yield the right of way to the oncoming Tesla sedan. A post-crash drug test also revealed the truck operator had used marijuana before the crash, according to NTSB’s report.

Wow, there just isn't any good news about either one of the drivers in the wreck or the autopilot system in that car. I guess the moral of that story is that we have a long way to go in so many ways.

Yet another black eye for the trucking industry. Geesh.