Tesla Model S Driver Killed Watching Harry Potter?

Was the Tesla Model S Driver Killed Watching Harry Potter?

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Apparently this is NOT the way to drive a Tesla Model S, in spite of their advertising claims!​

It is best that you keep your hands on the wheel at all times and pay attention to the road.

Reports are in from sources saying that the driver of the Tesla Model S who was killed May 7, 2016 near Gainesville, FL was watching a Harry Potter video when his car drove underneath a semi-trailer. Needless to say the trailer sheared off the vehicle's roof and the car went down the road another quarter mile before crashing into a yard and stopping.

"Preliminary reports indicate the crash occurred when a tractor-trailer rig made a left turn in front of the Tesla at an intersection of a divided highway where there was no traffic light, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The Tesla driver died due to injuries sustained in the crash, which took place May 7 in Williston, Florida, the agency said. The city is southwest of Gainesville.

Tesla said on its website that neither the driver nor the Autopilot noticed the white side of the trailer, which was perpendicular to the Model S, against the brightly lit sky, and neither applied the brakes.

"The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer," the company said. The windshield of the Model S collided with the bottom of the trailer.

By the time firefighters arrived, the wreckage of the Tesla—with its roof sheared off completely—was hundreds of feet from the crash site where it had come to rest in a nearby yard, assistant chief Danny Wallace of the Williston Fire Department told The Associated Press. The driver was pronounced dead, "Signal Seven" in the local firefighters' jargon, and they respectfully covered the wreckage and waited for crash investigators to arrive."

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-06-self-driving-car-driver-florida-collision.html#jCp

I haven't heard any of this on the mainstream media so I thought I'd post it here... and also note that Frank Baressi, 62, the driver of the truck being quoted saying the Tesla driver was "playing Harry Potter on the TV screen" and "he went so fast through my trailer I didn't see him."

"It was still playing when he died and snapped a telephone pole a quarter mile down the road," Baressi told The Associated Press.

Wow! I bet Elon Musk is doing whatever he can to keep this quiet, eh?

Comments are welcome here.


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It was reported on NPR.
This guy had 8 speeding tickets in 6 years and was known as a daredevil.

They said to expect more of these types of accidents as the drivers are supposed to be monitoring the vehicle when on "autopilot", but they don't.
Also the cameras, radar, and software isn't really sophisticated enough to allow for unmonitored driving.

The systems can't really understand traffic situations as well as humans.
What happens at a four way stop? The system can't see a driver motion you on with a hand wave, or a cop directing traffic at a malfunctioning traffic light.
How about a large dog and a small human crossing the road. If a collision is inevitable with one or the other can the system decide to hit the dog instead of the human? Can it decide to hit the human in the road and avoid running into a large crowd on the side of the road? Can it recognize a crowd of humans from a pack of animals? Think of the lawsuits that will come about.

 

When I heard the specifics I began to realize that yes indeed this driver was an idiot and the Model S was perfect for his achievement of the Darwin Award.