Drivers relying on vehicle’s autopilot endanger others

QAbout the intoxicated Tesla driver who fell asleep at the wheel “driving” for several miles on Highway 101 while his car was on autopilot. He was cited for a DUI misdemeanor and released. Gimme a break! What about endangerment to other cars, just for a start? Is this what we have to look forward to with the autopilot feature? Seriously, this is scary. — Gloria Pyszka, Palo Alto

AHere is another scary finding. A recent survey from AAA found that 40 percent of drivers think cars with autopilot features can be driven safely without a driver. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

QMaybe the guy really did everyone a favor by driving a Tesla. At least he stayed in his lane until police guided him over. Boy, that means a lot of police need to be on the freeways watching for sleeping Tesla drivers. — Gloria Pyszka

AAAA tested four vehicles with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist, finding they’re not designed to take over the task of driving, and can be significantly challenged by everyday, real-world conditions such as poor lane markings, unusual traffic patterns and stationary vehicles.

While driving on public roads, test vehicles struggled when encountering moderate traffic, curved roads and streets with busy intersections. Researchers noted many instances where the test vehicle experienced issues like lane departures, hugging lane markers, “pingponging” within the lane, inadequate braking, unexpected speed changes and inappropriate following distances. AAA found the systems generally performed best on open freeways and freeways with stop-and-go traffic.

However, when a lead vehicle changed lanes to reveal a stopped car, three out of the four test vehicles required driver intervention to avoid an imminent crash. This is a relatively common occurrence and could take drivers by surprise who have become too reliant on the technology.

QQuick thinking by the CHP to get this Tesla driver stopped. I assume officers must now practice for this sort of thing. — Frank Martin, Dublin

ANo. The CHP has not received any specific training for this. Said Art-the-CHP-Man, “This was a first for us but we’re glad our officers were quick to react and found a way to stop the vehicle safely. … We were surprised and glad it didn’t collide with other vehicles or went off the road.”

Officers positioned their patrol vehicle in front of the Tesla and began slowing directly in front of it in hopes that the “driver assist” feature had been activated and therefore the Tesla would slow to a stop as the patrol vehicle came to a stop. It did, with the Tesla coming to a complete stop within the No. 3 lane of 101 southbound, north of Embarcadero.

Thank goodness.