Mr Elon Musk had an altercation with a traffic bollard driving his new Tesla Cybertruck. This embarrassing incident occurred after dining out with friends at a top restaurant in Malibu, California.
The Cybertruck must have an impressive level of comfort as Mr Musk just continued driving as normal after crushing the bollard, not even stopping to check for damage. Maybe the Cybertruck should be equipped with external microphones so that the occupant can hear the graunching noise of impact damage?
In another incident only hours apart, a Tesla car crashed in to a police cruiser and another vehicle (both stationary) whilst in Autopilot mode. Apparently the owner of the Tesla was checking on the dog in the back of his car so didn’t notice the flashing blue lights of the stationary police cruiser up ahead which was acting as a hazard identifier to the car which had broken down in front of it.
Elon Musk believes cameras are the most sensible and cost effective solution for AI sensory perception in self driving cars. I wonder if an algo for flashing blue lights has been written in? Either way, the owner of the Tesla must be ‘barking mad’ just like his dog to take his eyes off the highway in front. The Connecticut State Police charged the driver with reckless driving and reckless endangerment but unlike Mr Musk he did stop at the incident, possibly because his car was totalled!
Let’s hope the National Safety Board (NTSB) in the US comes up with some sensible guidelines whilst it investigates accidents caused by Autopilot.