On June 1, a Tesla has slammed into the roof of an overturned truck in Taiwan, while the Autopilot was allegedly on. This is yet another cautionary tale about why Autopilot is not all that “automatic”. We may still be years away from playing video games while sitting behind a wheel.
Tesla crashed into an overturned truck. (Photo from Taiwan English News)
According to the Tesla driver, Mr. Huang, the collision happened while the car was reportedly on Autopilot, which was traveling at roughly 110 km/hr when the collision happened.
As seen in the video, the truck driver, on the other hand, was standing about a few meters in front of the overturned truck, facing the upcoming Tesla. According to the local media, the truck driver made attempts to warn the Tesla to no avail.
The Tesla’s brakes were applied too late. (Photo from Taiwan English News)
The white smoke emerged when the Tesla’s brakes were applied. However, it was too late to prevent the crash. The impact was so huge, the whole body of the truck shook violently, as shown in the video.
When the firefighters arrived, they found both drivers unharmed—nothing short of a miracle in itself—and unwilling to go to the hospital.
Just because you put your car on Autopilot,
that does not mean the car can drive itself.
It should be noted that Autopilot, given the current technology development, does not mean the car can drive itself.
According to Tesla’s website, the Autopilot features still “require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
In the meantime, keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Sometimes things are better the old fashioned way.
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