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Man dies while driving Tesla
- Thread starter 3175375
- Start date
Ponyman66
Yak, yak, yak
Tesla and Musk sure are in full damage control mode. "first known death in over 130 million miles of Autopilot operation" Ummm, yeah, okay. Maybe 130 million miles that every research car from every company has ever logged...combined. What is the mileage of privately owned/operated production cars though?!? Still a long way to go in development and IMHO production cars shouldn't be on the road yet! Unfortunately this guy's death is a grim example of why. I can already see the attorneys lining up to take as big a chunk of Elon's money as they can over this......"for the family" of course!
Gigantopithecus
Well-Known Member
I watched a couple of "reviews" of the autopilot. Looked sketchy as hell and I would never trust it.
On the bright side, one less idiot on the road today.
Seriously, does anyone really think that developing this technology...or more importantly, promoting it as is done is a good thing? People are naturally stupid and lazy it seems. Telling them their car will drive for them and keep them accident free is just inviting things like this to happen. Hell, I don't even use/like cruise control. If an emergency situation occurs how many drivers will panic and fail to hit the pedal correctly when they have had their foot off the gas for a while? It happens already. Now imagine people are sitting back not even paying attention since the car will "do it all". Scary stuff.
Seriously, does anyone really think that developing this technology...or more importantly, promoting it as is done is a good thing? People are naturally stupid and lazy it seems. Telling them their car will drive for them and keep them accident free is just inviting things like this to happen. Hell, I don't even use/like cruise control. If an emergency situation occurs how many drivers will panic and fail to hit the pedal correctly when they have had their foot off the gas for a while? It happens already. Now imagine people are sitting back not even paying attention since the car will "do it all". Scary stuff.
B67FSTB
The NorCal dude from Belgium
The driver is ALWAYS responsible of what the car does or doesn't.
Cruise control , lane assist and such are aid but the driver is always responsible ......at least here in Europe.
Cruise control , lane assist and such are aid but the driver is always responsible ......at least here in Europe.
It's, by law, pretty much the same here but as the land of lawyers that will certainly be challenged in the years ahead, Bruno. Our populous has a very large percentage of idiots who always find a way to screw up and never assume any of the responsibility.
blue65coupe
Well-Known Member
Oh Tesla will pay on this and pay big. Mark it. I'm with Terry on any assist function, I don't even like cruise control. And power windows...the only thing they are good for is when you need to toss some trash out the passenger's window.
Self driving cars....next thing they'll come up with is power steering, power brakes, auto headlights and air conditioning. Fucking pussies these days, phhhhhhht.
B67FSTB
The NorCal dude from Belgium
Well , I take the highway to go to my work (10-15 mls ) and my average speed is about 80-85 mph.
On wednesday and thursday afternoon ( work halftime , less traffic) is it 100 mph.
I will do this for as long as it is possible so I can tell this to my future grandkids what a cool granddad they have !!!!!
On wednesday and thursday afternoon ( work halftime , less traffic) is it 100 mph.
I will do this for as long as it is possible so I can tell this to my future grandkids what a cool granddad they have !!!!!
tarafied1
Well-Known Member
I don't have those things on my Mustang... well I did add electric PS recently but I can turn it off.
But seriously, modern cars are so easy to drive and very comfortable I can see why people get distracted by not focusing on the road. Manual trans, manual brakes, sloppy steering hard flat vinyl seats, etc. you really had to "drive" an old car with both hands and both feet. I'm not saying we need to go back but there should be more emphasis on driving and not wifi equipped, self parking, lane assisting, auto braking gadgets. Driving is a big responsibility that most people don't give a second thought to doing. So many people already can't drive well or with common courtesy and are too easily distracted. It's too easy to get and keep a drivers licence. I don't know the solution but I do know having a few old junky cars to teach my kids to drive in has helped them respect the task.
B67FSTB
The NorCal dude from Belgium
Well said , Craig.
Ponyman66
Yak, yak, yak
I also concur with Craig. When I was fresh out of high school I apprenticed as a young line mechanic at a local Ford dealership. My "mentor" had worked with the dealership since the late 40's. One day I was given a customer's new F150 to do some warranty repairs on. The old mechanic walked over to check on me and noticed the switches on the door panel for power windows. He went ballistic! He shouted that a "som bitch too damn lazy to roll down his own windows was too lazy to own a truck!" His other opinion was on the many things quickly becoming common place options or features. Notably power locks, mirrors, seats, etc... He told me it was just more junk that could break.
Most kids I grew up with were like me. When we learned to drive (in our very early teens, and too young for license as well!), we all learned in a manual transmission car. For me it was a '72 F100 with a 302 and a "three on the tree" manual tranny, and no power brakes or steering. Most kids nowadays don't seem to even care about a license until their late teens. When they do get behind the wheel the majority do so with an automatic and power everything...even in the older used cars. What they are capable of is stepping on the gas and sawing on the wheel. Any skill beyond that seems to be lost. Shifting a manual trans was the tip of the iceberg. Very few can back a car, let alone parallel park or even grasp basic driving skills like safely changing lanes or driving in a straight line at a safe distance. When I was a traffic cop I stopped a young girl one day for following too closely. She had been within several FEET from the rear of the car ahead while doing 60mph. When I explained why she had been stopped she was shocked. She justified her distance by saying "well sir, I was following far enough back that I could still see their rear tires!"
When I witnessed the decline of cars with manual transmissions and the rise of parking assist, auto braking assists, backing alarms, lane monitors, etc. I told my wife it wouldn't be long before driving a car was gone and you'd just climb and and be along for the ride. IMHO they aren't "assists", they're crutches. They further promote distracting behavior behind the wheel and need to develop proper driving skills. Sadly that time is quickly coming upon us. Personally I fear that I will witness a generation of people who never know the joy of banging through gears and yanking on an old steering wheel just to keep it in a straight line or power sliding through a curve on an old dirt back road. The old days of drive-in movies with your date or Friday and Saturday cruising the strip to pick up girls or show off who had the coolest car have all fallen. Elon Musk, Google and all the rest can shove their self driving cars straight up their asses!
Rant over!
Most kids I grew up with were like me. When we learned to drive (in our very early teens, and too young for license as well!), we all learned in a manual transmission car. For me it was a '72 F100 with a 302 and a "three on the tree" manual tranny, and no power brakes or steering. Most kids nowadays don't seem to even care about a license until their late teens. When they do get behind the wheel the majority do so with an automatic and power everything...even in the older used cars. What they are capable of is stepping on the gas and sawing on the wheel. Any skill beyond that seems to be lost. Shifting a manual trans was the tip of the iceberg. Very few can back a car, let alone parallel park or even grasp basic driving skills like safely changing lanes or driving in a straight line at a safe distance. When I was a traffic cop I stopped a young girl one day for following too closely. She had been within several FEET from the rear of the car ahead while doing 60mph. When I explained why she had been stopped she was shocked. She justified her distance by saying "well sir, I was following far enough back that I could still see their rear tires!"
When I witnessed the decline of cars with manual transmissions and the rise of parking assist, auto braking assists, backing alarms, lane monitors, etc. I told my wife it wouldn't be long before driving a car was gone and you'd just climb and and be along for the ride. IMHO they aren't "assists", they're crutches. They further promote distracting behavior behind the wheel and need to develop proper driving skills. Sadly that time is quickly coming upon us. Personally I fear that I will witness a generation of people who never know the joy of banging through gears and yanking on an old steering wheel just to keep it in a straight line or power sliding through a curve on an old dirt back road. The old days of drive-in movies with your date or Friday and Saturday cruising the strip to pick up girls or show off who had the coolest car have all fallen. Elon Musk, Google and all the rest can shove their self driving cars straight up their asses!
Rant over!
As a pilot I know that the FINAL authority IS the PILOT. Turn the automation off and fly the plane. Same goes for autos...drive the car you moron.
tarafied1
Well-Known Member
my company actually gave us that travel a lot, the option to take a driving course. It wasn't a race car driving course but did include a "skid" car. It was expensive but I described the day long course to my kids and they thought it would be good for them too, Seriously thinking of paying out of pocket for them.
In Kentucky driver's education is not available in public schools and driver training is left to the parents or guardians. Of course I took this pretty serious but I have witnessed other of my boys friends and even GF's just get the bare minimum from their parents to go take the test. It was hilarious to watch my son's GF try to back her car out of our driveway. She has already totaled her first car and had her licence less than six months and didn't even try to get it until she turned 18.
My dad taught me to drive when I was 13 and he taught me to drive a manual trans car. When I met my wife I had a Ranger and a GT and both with 5 speed. Taught my wife to drive a manual when we were dating. All my boys drive manual trans cars/trucks. They all spent time driving the beater junk I have as well. Included with driving I even taught my wife to change a tire and how to change oil. Maybe not required for driving but it all has to do with understanding vehicle and the responsibility. My son is currently trying to teach his GF how to drive the 5 speed. She will learn more from him than her parents and I don't mean to bash them but not many parents can drive that well either.
In Kentucky driver's education is not available in public schools and driver training is left to the parents or guardians. Of course I took this pretty serious but I have witnessed other of my boys friends and even GF's just get the bare minimum from their parents to go take the test. It was hilarious to watch my son's GF try to back her car out of our driveway. She has already totaled her first car and had her licence less than six months and didn't even try to get it until she turned 18.
My dad taught me to drive when I was 13 and he taught me to drive a manual trans car. When I met my wife I had a Ranger and a GT and both with 5 speed. Taught my wife to drive a manual when we were dating. All my boys drive manual trans cars/trucks. They all spent time driving the beater junk I have as well. Included with driving I even taught my wife to change a tire and how to change oil. Maybe not required for driving but it all has to do with understanding vehicle and the responsibility. My son is currently trying to teach his GF how to drive the 5 speed. She will learn more from him than her parents and I don't mean to bash them but not many parents can drive that well either.
Everyone should have to drive a truck/trailer combo and be proficient at backing too.
Sent from my iPhone using Smackatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Smackatalk
tarafied1
Well-Known Member
good point, my dad taught me to back a trailer. I have taught my wife. I need to teach the boys, haven't done that yet
Ponyman66
Yak, yak, yak
Craig touched on several good points. When the parents can't drive, they can't teach their kids either. The blind leading the blind! We no longer have drivers ed in schools here. Years ago they had it and most kids took it, either by their choice or their parents forcing them to. The parents encouraged because of the insurance break. Budget cuts forced them to go bye bye. IMHO you can correlate the decline in driver ability with the decline of drivers ed in schools!
In my area it seems that everyone and their brother now runs a driving school. I taught both of my kids to drive (though not in a manual because we didn't have one). My daughter picked it up quick. The boy, well, he wasn't really interested so it took him longer. Of the driving schools here there are a few that have been around for decades. My father even taught at one part time when I was younger and it had some outstanding folks teaching. We sent my son to it and he finally showed some interest in driving and got better (the car he got to learn in was a Mustang the school had!). What worried me though was he came home one day from a lesson. He told the instructor that I had taught him not to change back into a right lane after passing until he could see the other car in his mirror. The instructor was impressed, but had never heard that before. WHAT?!?
In my area it seems that everyone and their brother now runs a driving school. I taught both of my kids to drive (though not in a manual because we didn't have one). My daughter picked it up quick. The boy, well, he wasn't really interested so it took him longer. Of the driving schools here there are a few that have been around for decades. My father even taught at one part time when I was younger and it had some outstanding folks teaching. We sent my son to it and he finally showed some interest in driving and got better (the car he got to learn in was a Mustang the school had!). What worried me though was he came home one day from a lesson. He told the instructor that I had taught him not to change back into a right lane after passing until he could see the other car in his mirror. The instructor was impressed, but had never heard that before. WHAT?!?
Growing up in a more rural area my dad allowed my brother and I to drive his truck around our land and occasionally to the neighbors, etc. Also, having acreage to mow, we had a tractor for the job which I feel also aided in my, not so much my brother's, learning to drive. He had more than one stupid incident behind the wheel which showed me not everyone is cut out to be the same level driver.
More than just learning to judge speed and braking and all the nuances of operating a motor vehicle I have always felt awareness of everything around you is the most critical aspect of driving. My kids grew up playing games with me driving that showed them such. I had always preached to know where every car was around you and what they were up to. And yes, I profile drivers all day long. I see a teen driver, be they male or female, and i "know" what I can expect from either. Same for an old person or a soccer mom, etc. Is it always accurate? No but many more times than naught. Pay attention to how someone drives and you can anticipate when they will brake, or turn, etc. Our game was one of "what type of car is behind the one behind you?" or "who's driving that blue Prius?". It taught my kids to be completely aware of their surroundings.
Another great tip I taught was to drive through the windshield of the car ahead of you. Always watch at least two cars ahead to anticipate what might happen. Very valuable when driving in metro areas with heavy congestion.
With kids you will still likely have incidents but it does help to make better drivers long term.
More than just learning to judge speed and braking and all the nuances of operating a motor vehicle I have always felt awareness of everything around you is the most critical aspect of driving. My kids grew up playing games with me driving that showed them such. I had always preached to know where every car was around you and what they were up to. And yes, I profile drivers all day long. I see a teen driver, be they male or female, and i "know" what I can expect from either. Same for an old person or a soccer mom, etc. Is it always accurate? No but many more times than naught. Pay attention to how someone drives and you can anticipate when they will brake, or turn, etc. Our game was one of "what type of car is behind the one behind you?" or "who's driving that blue Prius?". It taught my kids to be completely aware of their surroundings.
Another great tip I taught was to drive through the windshield of the car ahead of you. Always watch at least two cars ahead to anticipate what might happen. Very valuable when driving in metro areas with heavy congestion.
With kids you will still likely have incidents but it does help to make better drivers long term.
