Driver Automation to Be Scrutinized in NTSB Probe of Tesla Crash

[FrodosPet]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-08/driver-automation-to-be-scrutinized-in-ntsb-probe-of-tesla-crash

by Alan Levin and Jeff Plungis
July 8, 2016 — 5:30 PM EDT

For years, U.S. investigators have been calling for more automation on motor vehicles, such as sensors that slam on the brakes to prevent a crash.

At the same time, the National Transportation Safety Board, in its probes of transportation mishaps, has warned that such devices may also have a down side: the technology can confuse operators if it’s poorly designed or lead to complacency that breeds its own hazards.

Now, for the first time in a highway accident, those two potentially contradictory themes will be put to the test as the NTSB opens an investigation into a fatal accident involving a Tesla Motors Inc. sedan that was driving with a feature called Autopilot enabled.

~ snip ~

While the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is conducting its own review of the May 7 incident, the NTSB wants to take a more comprehensive look at whether the crash reveals any systemic issues with driverless car technology, O’Neil said. NHTSA is a regulatory agency and the NTSB is an independent investigative body that only has the power to make policy recommendations.

~ snip ~

[longship]

1. When drivers ignore the instructions, bad shit happens.

One guy said he was reviewing his notes when his car went awry. The other guy died, so we don't know what he was doing. Probably playing Angry Birds or Candy Crush or my favorite, watching Barnie the purple dinosaur videos.

Musk even said that autopilot is not autonomous. One still has to pay attention, preferably with hands on the wheel.

But I am told here that autonomous vehicles are right around the corner, and that this is not autonomous vehicle tech.

Well, I will agree with the latter, because such a thing does not exist, and will likely never exist, or at least until all the road infrastructure is upgraded. That's a long time.

In the meantime we have those incremental experiments like Tesla, Volvo, and others who are working on it. We will may likely soon see how well they do. However, the past couple of weeks have not gone well for Tesla.

If one is waiting for a break through I recommend patience.

[FrodosPet]

2. Supposedly, the driver who was killed was watching Harry Potter

Technology like this MUST be labeled and formatted as driver ASSISTANCE - making human drivers better. Not driver REPLACEMENT, the way Tesla is doing it by calling their enhanced cruise / lane-keeping functions "AutoPilot".

The 360 degree awareness offered by current and evolving sensor technology could save a lot of lives and prevent a lot of damage. But nothing about them, be it the functions and feedback they provide, nor the labeling and marketing of them, should lull drivers into reducing their awareness.