Call me a skeptic, but...

[Puddles]

I have a VERY hard time believing that AutoPilot would steer entirely into the lane of oncoming traffic to avoid a little bag of meat.

Watch Tesla Autopilot swerve at last second to avoid a deer - Electrek

 

[JulienW]

It has been reported that AP sees deer as humans. BUT a "little bag of meat" deer can easily kill you (200 people in the US a year) and total your car.

Also what is this "oncoming traffic" you are referring to? This appears to be a divided (4 lane/Interstate) highway. There appears to be a truck or something ahead but in the emergency lane (right).

What to Do if You Hit a Deer With Your Car

 

[Puddles]

It has been reported that AP sees deer as humans. BUT a "little bag of meat" deer can easily kill you (200 people in the US a year) and total your car.

Also what is this "oncoming traffic" you are referring to? There MAY be cars coming but a LONG ways away.

What to Do if You Hit a Deer With Your Car

Yes, I was understating, I know they can do damage, but if the alternative is swerving into the grill of a Freightliner, I choose venison.

Anyone who knows AutoPilot recognizes that its sphere of good awareness is *very* close to the car. It does a good job of responding at about 800 ft to traffic control, but that's with the help of a map. And 800 feet at a 120 mph closing speed is only 4.5 seconds. There is no way Tesla would program the vehicle to risk that... it does not matter that there is no oncoming traffic in this instance, there could have been.

On top of all this, there is a well established pattern amongst enthusiastic Tesla owners to declare that they've been the one to experience extraordinary reactions by the car's AI. And look, here's a video! To date, the only one I believe (because he has video of the display to back up his claim) is @DirtyT3sla 's cone dodge. But his experience was a little swerve, slightly outside the lane, not a full on dodge all the way across the road.

These are the reasons I'm skeptical.

 

[JulienW]

..... it does not matter that there is no oncoming traffic in this instance, there could have been.....

there is NO oncoming traffic on the Interstate.

 

[1.21GW]

I share the skepticism. My car doesn’t swerve for cyclists or runners, I don’t see how it would swerve for a deer.

I’m very hopeful, but skeptical

 

[Puddles]

there is NO oncoming traffic on the Interstate.

Hah! You are correct. From the banner image, I assumed the truck in the distance was in the other lane. But the left hand line is yellow and I think that means “left limit line.”

This reduces my skepticism one small notch.

it does raise the question though... why are you NOT skeptical? Swallow the kool-aid?

 

[JulienW]

... why are you NOT skeptical? Swallow the kool-aid?

Did not say I was NOT skeptical. I was simply pointing out your main reasons as evidence for are not valid. There is no hard evidence to prove or disprove if AP was being used and responsible based on what is shown. So at this point and unless Tesla confirms the logs it is all based on "feelings" or personal biased belifes. I'm a STRONG believer in science/evidence so I'm remaining neutral on "believing" if it is real or not and just taking it on face value as a story of interest but anecdotal at best.

 

[RedModel3]

The driver was probably asleep, either physically or mentally. It looked to me like there was plenty of time to stop, or at least slow significantly, and the end of the video shows exactly why one should NEVER count on swerving to avoid a deer - it was runing back in the direction of the car. That driver was lucky to make it out alive.

 

[Gasaraki]

Yes, I was understating, I know they can do damage, but if the alternative is swerving into the grill of a Freightliner, I choose venison.

Anyone who knows AutoPilot recognizes that its sphere of good awareness is *very* close to the car. It does a good job of responding at about 800 ft to traffic control, but that's with the help of a map. And 800 feet at a 120 mph closing speed is only 4.5 seconds. There is no way Tesla would program the vehicle to risk that... it does not matter that there is no oncoming traffic in this instance, there could have been.

On top of all this, there is a well established pattern amongst enthusiastic Tesla owners to declare that they've been the one to experience extraordinary reactions by the car's AI. And look, here's a video! To date, the only one I believe (because he has video of the display to back up his claim) is @DirtyT3sla 's cone dodge. But his experience was a little swerve, slightly outside the lane, not a full on dodge all the way across the road.

These are the reasons I'm skeptical.

The Tesla is not going to steer in to oncoming traffic cause it sees that as objects too. Why would it steer from one object in to another?

 

[Jonabramson]

Did you people also notice there was a semi not far behind the Tesla? Had the Tesla braked hard to avoid the deer (or if the driver) it also could have been a very bad day for the Tesla owner. The semi does not have the same stopping distance and was upon the deer within 2 seconds according to the timestamp of the video. Not sure if the deer survived that if the semi hit it. Seems I saw the right side headlight of the semi dim in the distance as it passed where the deer stood.

 

[Puddles]

The Tesla is not going to steer in to oncoming traffic cause it sees that as objects too.

My point on this is that Tesla should not base its decision whether or not to steer into a lane of oncoming traffic based on what it can see. If its detection capability is 800 feet (and I feel this is unreasonably generous) it only has 4.5 seconds to dodge into an oncoming lane, realize this may have been a bad choice, and dodge back again. I do not think this has a sufficient safety benefit over staying put and applying emergency braking, especially if the choices are a 200 lb deer or an 80,000 lb semi. As to who is behind you, and how far behind you they may be, AI will never be able to account for the bad driving habits of others. If someone is hell-bent on running into you, they will.

The semi does not have the same stopping distance...

This is a common misconception. If you read the CDL Driver's Handbook, it explains that a fully loaded truck has the same stopping distance as a passenger vehicle. Or, if you read a physics textbook, it also explains why this would be the case.

*edit* I just remembered... there are some awesome videos on YouTube of trucks stopping in impossibly short distances. Volvo likes to make promo videos showing this, and there are some of random superstar truck drivers who avoid collisions by astonishing feats of braking. Check 'em out!

 

[vogz]

This is a common misconception. If you read the CDL Driver's Handbook, it explains that a fully loaded truck has the same stopping distance as a passenger vehicle. Or, if you read a physics textbook, it also explains why this would be the case.

*edit* I just remembered... there are some awesome videos on YouTube of trucks stopping in impossibly short distances. Volvo likes to make promo videos showing this, and there are some of random superstar truck drivers who avoid collisions by astonishing feats of braking. Check 'em out!

That is completely and totally incorrect. Semis, especially fully loaded take FAR longer to stop than the average passenger vehicle.

Physics completely disagrees with you too. Newton's first law is an object in motion stays in motion and momentum is mass times velocity. A fully loaded semi-truck weighs about 80,000lbs and the average passenger vehicle weighs about 4,000lbs. That means a full loaded semi would require 20 times the braking force to stop in the same distance as a 4,000lb vehicle. They don't have anywhere near that.

Long Stopping Distances

Stopping Distances – Truck Smart

There are literally hundreds of links on the subject from government agencies, to truck driving schools and beyond that all say basically the same thing. Semi-trucks take FAR longer to stop than cars.

 

[holmgang]

This is a common misconception. If you read the CDL Driver's Handbook, it explains that a fully loaded truck has the same stopping distance as a passenger vehicle. Or, if you read a physics textbook, it also explains why this would be the case.

In simple energy terms, there is a helluvalot more energy that needs to be dissipated in the brakes and tires of the heavier vehicle.

How on earth would they have the same stopping distance again?

 

[Mash]

In simple energy terms, there is a helluvalot more energy that needs to be dissipated in the brakes and tires of the heavier vehicle.

How on earth would they have the same stopping distance again?

By using larger tires and brakes.

 

[Puddles]

By using larger tires and brakes.

Thank you

 

[Puddles]

In simple energy terms, there is a helluvalot more energy that needs to be dissipated in the brakes and tires of the heavier vehicle.

How on earth would they have the same stopping distance again?

Everything you need to work this out is contained in the formula

F = u x N

Plainly speaking, what it means is that EVERY OUNCE (or gram) of weight in that massive Aussie road train that is contributing to its huge kinetic energy is ALSO pressing it harder into the pavement. A fully loaded truck grips the road much more strongly than a passenger vehicle.

I don’t care if you’re on a bicycle, in a car, or hauling concrete, if you can lock ‘em up, you’ll slide to a stop in *very* similar distance. (Of course suspension and tire differences affect “u” and will cause minor variations)

 

[Spacep0d]

I have a VERY hard time believing that AutoPilot would steer entirely into the lane of oncoming traffic to avoid a little bag of meat.

Watch Tesla Autopilot swerve at last second to avoid a deer - Electrek

But see, there was no oncoming traffic. It's the same maneuver you'd make if you were driving yourself and could react to avoid hitting a deer or anything in the road where you know it's clear in the oncoming lane. If there were traffic oncoming, the response would be different.

 

[holmgang]

By using larger tires and brakes.

In theory they can accelerate fast using larger more powerful motors.

In real life none of their equipment scale to their weight, so no 18 wheeler accelerate, brake, or turn as well as a passenger car. Say, an AWD Tesla.

Happy to be shown wrong with an actual example.

In theory Rush Limbaugh can sprint as fast as Usain Bolt by moving his legs really quickly.

 

[Mash]

In theory they can accelerate fast using larger more powerful motors.

In real life none of their equipment scale to their weight, so no 18 wheeler accelerate, brake, or turn as well as a passenger car. Say, an AWD Tesla.

Happy to be shown wrong with an actual example.

In theory Rush Limbaugh can sprint as fast as Usain Bolt by moving his legs really quickly.

But that has nothing to do with brakes energy capacity. Trucks have worse traction tires to save energy, often worse ABS don't know why, worse suspension and since loaded/empty weight difference is enormous - they can't have optimal tire size for each load.

Despite the myth, tire traction doesn't change linearly to the tire pressure on road. Also tire temperature that changes rapidly during braking skews tire friction coefficient. But in reality empty truck stopping distance is even higher than loaded.

 

[vogz]

Everything you need to work this out is contained in the formula

F = u x N

Plainly speaking, what it means is that EVERY OUNCE (or gram) of weight in that massive Aussie road train that is contributing to its huge kinetic energy is ALSO pressing it harder into the pavement. A fully loaded truck grips the road much more strongly than a passenger vehicle.

I don’t care if you’re on a bicycle, in a car, or hauling concrete, if you can lock ‘em up, you’ll slide to a stop in *very* similar distance. (Of course suspension and tire differences affect “u” and will cause minor variations)

Wrong wrong wrong wrong. Nice job completely ignoring my post that had actual data and proof that semi's take far longer to stop than a passenger car.

I guess you don't have to hear the truth if you just stick your fingers in your ears and close your eyes.