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Telsa’s Autopilot is Killing Motorcyclists

Tesla’s Autopilot was involved in a third fatal motorcycle crash this summer, raising questions about the driver-assist system’s ability to operate safely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has already launched investigations into the first two crashes and gathered information on the third crash. More details of the latest crash surfaced Monday. The three fatal crashes occurred in a 51-day span this summer and follow a similar line of events: A person driving a Tesla in the early morning hours with Autopilot active strikes a motorcycle.
The crashes renew questions about whether users of the systems are kept sufficiently engaged and prepared to fully control the vehicle when needed. Research has shown that drivers glance away from the road more frequently while using Autopilot, and that many Autopilot users believe their cars drive themselves.
Tesla’s Autopilot system keeps the vehicle in its lane while traveling at a set speed, and drivers are instructed to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. The automaker says it detects torque on the wheel and uses a camera near the rear-view mirror to determine driver inattentiveness, and uses alerts to remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
Ingrid Eva Noon was riding her motorcycle in Palm Beach County, Florida at 2:11 a.m. on Aug. 26 when an impaired driver using Tesla’s Autopilot impacted the rear of Noon’s motorcycle, throwing her onto the Tesla’s windshield and killing her, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office. Driver-assist crash data that automakers like Tesla must report to NHTSA was published Monday and revealed that Autopilot was engaged.
A Tesla driver using Autopilot struck a motorcycle lying on a road on July 7 at 4:47 a.m in Riverside, California. The motorcyclist, who had already fallen off the bike after hitting a dividing wall, was killed, according to California Highway Patrol. The Tesla did not strike the rider, who had already been ejected, California Highway Patrol said.
The recent crashes suggest the Tesla system is insufficient, according to motorcycle advocates.
Motorcycle safety advocates say they’re concerned that the software fails to see motorcycles and lulls Tesla drivers into a sense of complacency and inattentiveness. The advocates say that the government’s vehicle safety regulations do not adequately protect motorcycle riders and that steps should be taken to better protect them, including testing driver-assist systems like Autopilot for motorcycle detection.
The American Motorcyclist Association has cautioned for years about the risks of emerging driving technologies not adequately detecting motorcyclists.
“If this issue is not addressed early in developing automated vehicles,” it wrote to NHTSA last year, “The consequences will prove disastrous for motorcyclists.”

Thank you for the head’s up on the Tesla’s autopilot dangerousness, I shall be extra careful while riding around them, and try to be more aware of the incoming ones. Meanwhile, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the battery revolution. Cheers!
Reading the article on CNN, it seems the issue is tired/drunk drivers relying on Autopilot at 2am: Teslas rely on cameras not radar or infrared for their safety features, and at night the cameras fail to see motorcycles! Not much of a safety feature at all, and Elon Musk won’t be influenced by lawsuits until they hurt his business…
Scary info indeed, but truly valuable for the everyday rider… Thank you! Also, something as simples as the “Autopilot” designation itself might be misleading to some, making all the difference in life-and-death situations. Tesla’s marketing placing profit before life itself? This might backfire, I hope.
You cannot honestly, scientifically say that Tesla self driving is more dangerous with the information provided in this article.
How many car vs motorcycle accidents are there on average ? How does this compare to Tesla in “self driving” (driver assist) mode ?
Tesla hasn’t released Level 5 full self driving. The driver is still the one who is driving. This is driver assist.
In the instance of the Tesla hitting a motorcycle hockey pucking down the road after colliding with a barrier, how do you think a human would have avoided that accident? The laws of physics still apply. A car still has a minimum braking distance regardless of if the brakes are applied manually or electronically.
But of course many eyes are upon an innovative technology that’s already being sold and used in real-world conditions, but is not transparent due to patent protection. But it’s only common-sense, whilst bearing in mind that it does not claim to eliminate human error, it still needs to be closely observed.