Autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles still have miles to go in terms of safety. After the fatal accident involving a Google Car last March, a new collision of a car Tesla mode 'Autopilot' is relaunching the debate.
Tuesday, on a California road in Laguna Beach, south of Los Angeles, a Tesla electric car that was traveling in semi-autonomous mode, struck a parked police vehicle. The driver was only slightly injured.
Fortunately, the police were not in their vehicles when the collision occurred.
If the development of these autopilot systems still leaves something to be desired, the same can be said for the behavior of the drivers of the vehicles, who obviously have a little too much confidence in the system. Tesla regularly recalls that 'Autopilot' is not an autopilot system (as the name suggests), but only a driver assistance system.
Elon Musk himself recently pointed out: "When drivers use Autopilot, the system constantly reminds them that it is their responsibility to leave their hands on the wheel and keep control of the vehicle at all times"
