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Tesla Owner In China Blames Autopilot For Crash (usatoday.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from USA Today: The owner of a Tesla Motors Model S sedan in China reportedly said his vehicle crashed into a car on the side of the road while the vehicle's Autopilot system was engaged, but the automaker said the driver was using the system improperly. Luo Zhen, 33, of Beijing told Reuters that his vehicle collided with a parked car on the left side of a highway, damaging both vehicles but injuring no one. He criticized Tesla sales people for allegedly describing the vehicle as "self-driving." "The impression they give everyone is that this is self-driving, this isn't assisted driving," he told Reuters. In the new case in China, Tesla said the Model S was "following closely behind the car in front of it when the lead car moved to the right to avoid hitting the parked car." "The driver of the Tesla, whose hands were not detected on the steering wheel, did not steer to avoid the parked car and instead scraped against its side," Tesla said Wednesday in a statement. "As clearly communicated to the driver in the vehicle, Autosteer is an assist feature that requires the driver to keep his hands on the steering wheel at all times, to always maintain control and responsibility for the vehicle, and to be prepared to take over at any time."
I think it's commendable to let idiots kill themselves. Now, if we could just make sure that only the drivers were killed, we'd have a killer feature! /ba-dum-tish!
There are two sets of rules in China, the simple and the complicated.
The simple:
1. There are no rules.
The complicated:
1. Lane markings are just to keep painters employed and can be ignored.
2. Traffic police are to keep traffic police employed and can be ignored.
3. Indicators are just to boost the lightbulb industry and don't serve any purpose.
4. Horns are to communicate with drivers in all circumstances even if you have absolutely nothing to say.
5. You always have right of way if you're bigger, infront, or more cars are queued up behind you than queued up behind the person you're cutting off.
6. It is always the other person's fault.
7. No the red light it meaningless it is always the other person's fault.
In many ways the auto-pilot did the right thing and just ran into the person who dared to let you run into him.
When I was little my parents always asked me to open the childproof lids for them...
Getting a driving license in China is also rather simple. You get a form with two questions, and if you answer both satisfactory (the correct answer being "Yes"), you get your license and you're good to go. The questions:
1) Do you know how to drive?
2) Are you sure?
I can do exactly that in my car. I can say "KITT, take me to KSMO" and go to sleep.
I won't get anywhere, of course, but I CAN DO THAT!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.