Tesla autopilot could allow minor collisions says Musk

Speaking at an event on Monday that focused on Tesla’s plans for autonomous vehicles Musk said that as it became more confident in its systems, the US car maker would allow motorists to select more aggressive driving modes.

Tesla owners in some parts of the world already have access to Navigate on Autopilot, which can suggest lane changes and execute the move itself with the driver’s approval. It features several settings which will decide if an overtake is necessary based on the car in front’s speed - from mild to “Mad Max”.

At Monday’s event, CEO Musk told the audience that Tesla could push this mode further to allow a “non-zero chance of a fender bender”.

During a question and answer session a Tesla owner asked Musk how the Autopilot system could better deal with Los Angeles’ notorious traffic. He complained that currently his car wasn’t aggressive enough in moving into gaps. Musk responded by saying that Telsa was currently being conservative but as it gained confidence it would give users the choice of more aggressive modes. He said: “In the more aggressive modes and trying to merge in traffic, there is a slight, no matter how minute, there is a slight chance of a fender bender.

“Not a serious accident. But basically you’ll have a choice of: do you want to have a non-zero chance of a fender bender on freeway traffic, which unfortunately is the only way to navigate LA traffic.”

Despite previously claiming that its cars already feature all the systems necessary for full self-driving, Tesla has repeatedly insisted that Autopilot remains a driver assistance system.

Musk said the US car maker would allow motorists to select more aggressive driving modes