Video: Tesla Slams Into Overturned Truck in Probable Autopilot Failure

A Tesla Model 3 became one with an overturned box truck in Taiwan on Monday, raising another red flag for advanced driver-assist features. Since we routinely crap upon driving aids — which never seem to work when and how you need them — we’ll keep this one under 650 words. Fortunately, our task has been made easier by preliminary reports lacking much information and a sizable language barrier.

The incident took place on Taiwan’s National Highway 1 near the Zhongshan High Chiayi Water Section, with the car allegedly operating in Autopilot mode. Video footage shows the Model 3 keeping to the leftmost lane with ample time to stop for the overturned delivery vehicle. There’s even a person standing in the road (likely the truck’s driver), flagging cars to warn them of the giant obstacle. The Tesla, however, failed to notice any of that until it was too late and ended up going through the trailer’s roof.

As much blame as the manufacturer is bound to get for this one (like in past incidents), we’re saddling the driver with all the responsibility this time. There’s really no excuse for this to have happened, assuming the vehicle’s brakes were functioning normally, and the accident could have been avoided if he’d kept his eyes on the road. It also feels fine to call him a moron, as he survived the encounter without sustaining serious injuries.

The Model 3 does appear to apply the brakes as it approaches the overturned vehicle, but it’s far too late to do anything but bleed off some speed before impact. Jalopnik, which first reported the story in English, did not indicate whether Autopilot or the driver (a 53-year-old man named Huang) stomped the brake pedal at the last second. Local Taiwanese outlets seem to suggest it was the car. Had his overconfidence in Autopilot not gotten him into the predicament in the first place, we’d probably praise the system. That won’t happen today.

Tesla’s Autopilot has shown itself to be vulnerable to large, brightly colored objects (usually white). Joshua Brown, the Florida Tesla owner believed to be the first Autopilot-related fatality, also collided with a white semi-truck trailer that the system’s camera array failed to recognize as an obstacle. LIDAR, which CEO Elon Musk has been famously averse to implementing, probably would have been able to fill in some of the visual gaps in the software. But don’t assume it’d have saved the day. We’ve driven enough advanced driving aids to know they’re always one minor hiccup away from failing you, regardless of manufacturer or design.

Twitter user @jsin86524368, who clearly has an axe to grind with overhyped automotive tech (we see you, brother) and an affinity for comically cringeworthy articles/press releases, compiled a comprehensive collection of photos and videos from the incident. He also said that Taiwanese media claimed the car’s airbags didn’t go off. While the accident may not have been severe enough to trigger them, the footage certainly makes it seem as though they should have.

Tesla rarely has anything to say about stuff like this unless it’s forced to; in this case, we don’t think there’s much of a need. The problem is fairly obvious. Misleading marketing has led well-heeled fools to believe certain automotive products are self-driving and they’re now running amok on public roads.

Our take? Regulators need to pull their heads out of their asses and come to grips with how badly they’ve mishandled certifying this “life-saving technology” and remind themselves that corporate promises don’t mean a whole lot. At the same time, automakers (not just Tesla) need to cut the crap and stop pretending driver assistance packages are infallible. They’re notoriously unreliable, frequently obnoxious, and selling them has allowed a subset of bad drivers to become worse because they’ve mistakenly convinced themselves that an electronic nanny will intervene at the last minute and save them.

https://twitter.com/jsin86524368/status/1267423319495606272

[Image: B.Zhou/Shuterstock]