Autonomous taxis are safer than Tesla’s ‘self-driving’ tech
Drivers are part of the problem
Is Tesla getting an easy ride?
Earlier this year, a lobby group calledThe Dawn Projecttook out a full-page ad in the New York Times. It slammed Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ (FSD) beta software.
Ok, my first thought was “old man shouts at cloud”, but I think there’s something here.
The organization wrotea safety analysisanalyzing 22 videos of over seven hours of driving under FSD Beta by members of the public, noting:
Part of me thinks okay, Tesla is ostensibly beta testing, so there’s some margin for error.
But the other part of me thinks, when did road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, sign up to be guinea pigs (or sitting ducks) while the tech is ironed out?
I’ve previously asserted that part of the problem isfuckwit Tesla drivers, a category that certainly doesn’t categorize all Tesla drivers by any means.
But it raises worrying questions about parity. Especially when we compare Tesla’s beta testing to the efforts of vehicle tech companies making autonomous taxis.
Let’s compare this to the robotaxi driving experience
There are huge contrasts between Tesla’s “FSD” and robotaxis,which don’t have a human driver behind the wheel.
Take a look at China’sregulationsthat allow AV testing on selected highways and city roads. Driving is restricted to specific zones, and safety is prioritized.
Then, there’s Cruise, which is nowofferingautonomous commercial services in San Francisco.
Ok, the robotaxis are generally only operating from 11PM to 5AM. This shields them from some of the conventional driving challenges like peak hour traffic, road work, or rushes of pedestrians and cyclists — so you could argue they get a safer ride.
But the autonomous robotaxis have undergone a gradual process of rigorous testing and piloting.
Yet, Tesla drivers can go where they like. And, too bad if they treat their car as autonomous, when it’s only driver-assist. Further,robotaxis have hadfewer untoward incidents, while FSD hascaused several
What’s more dangerous? An autonomous robotaxi or a Tesla in “full-self driving” (driver-assist mode)? We’ve seen little effective effort to curtail Tesla’s rights on the road.
The privilege of driving a car is changing
The way we experience cars is changing massively, especially in how we define what it means to drive a car.
Even learning to drive needs to change to effectively accommodate the different responsibilities of the driver,as cars gain increased autonomy.
Increasing the levels of vehicle automation is a hard sell to many people outside of the tech bubble. I want individuals to feel confident and excited about the technology. And I want them to feel safe co-existing with cars that are both autonomous and engaged in driver-assist mode.
Until that happens, we’re sitting in an uncomfortable position, waiting for news of the next car crash in driver-assist.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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