Another Tesla "autopilot" crash and death

[ChargerChallenger]

Almost a month ago we looked at a rather mysterious case of a Tesla Model 3 that may or may not have been on “autopilot” crashing into a tree and killing both of the vehicle’s occupants. Elon Musk came out later and claimed that the car couldn’t have been in autopilot mode at the time of the crash for a number of reasons, though other owners weighed in arguing that might not be the case. That crash is still being investigated, but now yet another incident has taken place.


On May 5th, another Tesla Model 3 was traveling in Fontana, California when it crashed into an overturned tractor-trailer, killing the driver and seriously injuring a person who had been trying to help the truck’s driver escape the vehicle. Authorities originally said this Tesla was also in autopilot mode, but later walked that claim back, saying they didn’t know what mode it was in. But the driver of the Tesla, 35-year-old Steven Michael Hendrickson, was found to have been a member of the Southern California Tesla Club and had regularly posted videos of himself driving the car in autopilot mode.

In the Fontana crash, a 35-year-old man identified as Steven Michael Hendrickson was killed when his Tesla Model 3 struck an overturned semi on a freeway about 2:30 a.m.

Hendrickson was a member of the Southern California chapter of a Tesla club who posted numerous photos and videos on social media of his white Model 3. One video on his Instagram account showed him riding in the driver’s seat without his hands on the wheel or foot on the pedal as the Tesla navigated freeway traffic. The video included the comment: “Best carpool buddy possible even takes the boring traffic for me.”

A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his funeral and memorial service says Hendrickson was survived by his wife and two children. A message seeking comment from his wife has not been returned.

 

[MJS73]

I don't understand how this keeps happening. Every computer I've ever used has always performed flawlessly.

 

[SilverBillet]

I don't understand how this keeps happening. Every computer I've ever used has always performed flawlessly.

 

[SilverBillet]

@ChargerChallenger Found it in our “Classic Smiles” icons

 

[SilverBillet]

 

[MiHiHemi]

Time for Tesla buyers to pass an I.Q. test before purchase.

 

[HWDan]

To me, a car that drives itself makes as much sense as a TV that watches itself.

Public transit works quite well for those that can't stand to drive.

There's a news story out there about how a Tesla kept stopping in the middle of nowhere. Only to figure out there's a billboard with a stop sign in the graphic just up the street.

 

[Whatknot]

Time for Tesla buyers to pass an I.Q. test before purchase.

If they were smart, they wouldn't be buying a tesla 🤣

 

[ChargerChallenger]

Holly crap read this😳
Tesla Drivers Test Autopilot’s Limits, Attracting Audiences—and Safety Concerns
Some users brag online about how they misuse their cars by tricking the driver-assistance system
Tesla Inc. TSLA -2.49% Chief Executive Elon Musk for years has been championing his vehicles’ driver-assistance system called Autopilot and forecasting that self-driving cars are an emerging reality. Some would-be social media stars and Tesla owners can’t seem to wait.

Param Sharma, 25, has posted multiple videos to Instagram in which he appears to operate a Tesla while in the back seat with nobody at the wheel. Police in California arrested Mr. Sharma on May 10 for alleged reckless driving after an officer said he saw him operating a Tesla Model 3 from the back seat on a Bay Area highway.

Similar videos abound on social media, even though Tesla’s technology is intended only as a way to assist drivers, who are instructed to keep their hands on the wheel. Echoing Mr. Musk’s penchant for pushing the envelope, some Tesla drivers over years have created an online-video genre out of testing what’s possible with their vehicles, in some cases appearing to override safety functions to perform stunts that they post to YouTube or TikTok.
One TikTok user shared a video last year that appeared to depict a Tesla going more than 60 miles an hour on a highway with no one in the driver’s seat while its passengers drank hard seltzer and sang along to Justin Bieber. The video, which refers to the car as the designated driver, has 1.7 million likes. The video’s poster didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Tesla’s Autopilot has features designed to make hands-on driving easier and safer by helping with tasks such as steering and maintaining appropriate distance from others on the road. The company tells drivers repeatedly in its user manuals to remain engaged.

 

[Whatknot]

People are stupid!

The End.