Tesla FSD Crash News

What Happened?

Autonomous driving promises to revolutionize transportation, but it’s still navigating some rocky terrain. Take, for example, a recent incident involving a Tesla Model 3 reportedly operating in Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode. The vehicle inexplicably veered off the road, crossed oncoming traffic, hit a tree, and then overturned, all on a sunny, clear day. The driver claimed the car was using Tesla’s FSD version 13.2.8, indicating it was up-to-date at the time of the mishap.

The Crash

The event was captured in four videos posted online, showing the car behaving normally for the first 31 seconds of its journey down a straight, two-lane road. Just when an opposite-direction car passed by, things took a dramatic turn—quite literally. The Tesla turned sharply to the left, crossed into the opposite lane, went off-road, and struck a tree within three seconds.

Lidar Debate

Tesla’s choice to rely solely on vision-based systems for its autonomous features, ditching Lidar and radar, is a hot topic. While vision-based systems can identify objects and provide near-human-like perception, Lidar offers superior performance in adverse weather where visibility is poor. Many argue that incorporating Lidar would add an extra layer of safety and validation for these AI-driven systems.

The Driver’s View

The driver, who posted details on Reddit, was traveling at about 55 mph when the crash occurred. While he only sustained minor physical injuries, he expressed significant disillusionment with FSD, making it clear he’d never use the autonomous feature again, despite prior positive experiences. He also sought all crash data from Tesla, hoping to uncover more about what went wrong.

Conclusion

Past incidents involving Tesla’s FSD often came with some narrative to defend the technology. However, this incident, assuming the details hold true, seems to cast an even longer shadow over Tesla’s autonomous ambitions. The encounter raises questions about the readiness of such systems for more mainstream applications like Tesla’s planned Robotaxi service. The public and regulatory bodies alike await further developments on how Tesla addresses this glaring oversight in its FSD technology.