TESLA HAS A BIT OF TECHNOLOGY, IT'S CALLED AUTOPILOT AND IT
ALLOWS THE CAR TO ñ IN MOST CIRCUMSTANCES ñ DRIVE ITSELF.
IT IS MORE ALL-ENCOMPASSING THAN OTHER CAR AUTOMATIC FUNCTIONS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY CAN PASS OUT OR WATCH TV OR FALL
ASLEEP, BUT OVER THE LAST MONTH OR SO THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS
THAT MAKE PEOPLE LOOK AT THE TECHNOLOGY AGAIN.
IN A TESLA MOTOR CLUB DRIVER FORUM, THERE WAS A POST
ABOUT A FRIEND GETTING INTO A BAD CRASH IN MONTANA AND
PLANNING AUTOPILOT.
THE DISCUSSION GOES LIKE THIS, "IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT, AUTOPILOT
DID NOT DETECT A WOOD STEAK ON THE ROAD, HIT MORE THAN 20 WOOD
STAKES, TIRE UNFUNDED PASSENGER SIDE AND LIGHTS FLEW AWAY.
THEY NOTED THAT AUTOPILOT WAS ENABLED AT 60
MILES PER HOUR IN A 55 MILE-PER-HOUR ZONE.
HIS CAR WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED."
ACCORDING TO ELEKTREK, TESLA'S AUTOMATIC DURING FEATURE IS ONLY
RECOMMENDED ON ROADS WITH CENTER DIVIDERS.
THIS FOLLOWS, IN MAY I BELIEVE, THERE WAS THE FIRST FATAL
ACCIDENT DURING AUTOPILOT.
I'M SPLIT ON THIS.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE TOO FREAKED OUT BY AUTOPILOT, AND I'M
IN THAT GROUP, THAT'S WHY I'M SPLIT ON THIS ISSUE.
I KNOW THAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IT UNTIL A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
TESTED IT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S A PANIC.
OH MY GOD!
THERE'S TWO AUTOPILOT ACCIDENTS!
AT THAT SAME TIME THERE'S BEEN 1 MILLION NON-AUTOPILOT ACCIDENTS.
LET'S JUST BE RATIONAL ABOUT IT.
MY RATIONAL WAY OF HANDLING IT IS, YOU FIRST.
A LOT OF PEOPLE DISAGREE AND THEY WANT TO TRY TECHNOLOGY
FIRST, I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC, I WILL LET YOU TRY IT FOR ABOUT
10 YEARS BEFORE I JUMP IN.
JOHN WILL BE AMONG THE 1ST.
I WOULD IF THE CARS DIDN'T COST LIKE 90 GRAND.
I KNOW.
THAT'S THE BIGGER ISSUE.
I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, THAT'S WHY I WOULDN'T DO
IT FOR THE FIRST 10 YEARS, AND YES YOU ARE RIGHT, DON'T GO
CHASING POKEMON WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING, EVEN IF IT'S ON
AUTOPILOT.
AND EVERY TIME SOMEONE SAYS IT'S THE AUTOPILOT'S FAULT I WOULD
DOUBLE CHECK, BECAUSE THAT'S A PRETTY CONVENIENT EXCUSE.
BUT OVERALL, DON'T PANIC.
LET'S SEE HOW THIS THING GOES, BECAUSE THE MINUTE YOU START
SOMETHING NEW, IF TWO OR THREE THINGS GO WRONG PEOPLE ARE LIKE,
I KNEW IT WAS A DISASTER WE HAD TO STOP IT IMMEDIATELY!
JUST CALMED DOWN.
A LOT OF PEOPLE DO THINK IT HAS TO BE STOPPED.
ELON MUSK HAS CALLED IT A BETA, PEOPLE ARE WONDERING IF WE
SHOULD EVEN BE ABLE TO ALLOWED TO TEST THIS TECHNOLOGY.
ASKED ABOUT THE INCIDENT, TESLA RESPONDED, "WE ARE LOOKING
INTO IT.
THANKS."
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF ANY OF THE DETAILS POSTED IN THE FORUM WERE
TRUE, BUT IT CAME OUT AN HOUR BEFORE WE STARTED THIS SHOW THAT
THE SEC IS INVESTIGATING TESLA FOR NOT NOTIFYING INVESTORS
ABOUT THE FATAL CRASH IN MAY WHEN AUTOPILOT WAS ACTIVE.
THE INVESTIGATION IS IN EARLY STAGES ACCORDING TO THE WALL
STREET JOURNAL AND MAY NOT LEAD TO ANY ACTION BY THE REGULATOR.
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE MENTIONED IT BECAUSE THERE WAS A BIG
STOCKHOLDER MEETING THAT HAPPENED IN THE INTERIM.
THE FATAL CRASH IS REAL AND IMPORTANT AND OF COURSE
THEY SHOULD NOTIFY INVESTORS.
THIS PARTICULAR THING, THE WOODEN STAKES, IT FEELS FISHY TO
ME.
THEY'LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO IT, BUT I SMELL SOMETHING
SLIGHTLY FISHY HERE.
LOOK, IMPORTANTLY, IT'S CALLED AUTOPILOT.
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO JUST, EH WHATEVER, I'M GOING TO BE
OVER HERE YOU NEED ME.
IT SAYS WHEN YOU BOOT IT UP, IT SAYS YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR
EYES ON THE ROAD AND REMAIN ABLE TO TAKE OVER.
IN THIS ACCIDENT AND THE FATAL ONE, THE AUTOPILOT DIDN'T DETECT
THE THING THAT IT HIT, BUT THE PERSON DIDN'T DETECT IT EITHER.
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING HARRY POTTER, AND
APPARENTLY THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE FATAL ACCIDENT.
IT'S NOT CASTING BLAME ON THE VICTIM, BUT THIS IS NEW
TECHNOLOGY, YOU NEED TO BE WATCHING THE ROAD AND ABLE
TO TAKE OVER IF NECESSARY.
AND TO WHAT YOU SAID, I DID SOME FAST MENTAL MATH, BETWEEN THIS
ACCIDENT AND THE FATAL ACCIDENTS, THERE'S BEEN
SOMETHING LIKE 4000 TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN THE U.S.
THESE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, WE DON'T TAKE NOTE OF
THEM BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY OF THEM.
THE FACT THAT THESE ACCIDENTS SHOULD STOP WHAT IS CLEARLY THE
FUTURE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY ñ OTHER COMPANY ARE
WORKING ON THIS, IT NEEDS TO TAKE OVER, THERE'S NO POINT
IN TRYING TO STEP IN FRONT OF IT.
WHICH IS WHAT EVERYBODY DOES ANY TIME THERE'S CHANGE.
I'M MORE CAUTIOUS THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR, THAT'S WHY IF
I'M ON AUTOPILOT I'M LIKE, READY TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE
STEERING WHEEL AT ALL TIME.
DON'T BE MICHAEL SCOTT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU EVER SEEN THAT
RENDITION OF THE OFFICE, WHERE THEY LITERALLY, BECAUSE THE
GPS TELLS THEM TO THEY DRIVE INTO A LAKE.
YOU ARE STILL ALLOWED TO USE HUMAN JUDGMENT.
IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING IN FRONT OF YOU, GO AHEAD AND SWERVE.