Why self-driving cars need strong regulation and extensive safety testing before they hit the road: Tesla's "Full Self Driving" Beta Is Just Laughably Bad and Potentially Dangerous | Road and Track

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

A beta version of Tesla's "Full Self Driving" Autopilot update has begun rolling out to certain users. And man, if you thought "Full Self Driving" was even close to a reality, this video of the system in action will certainly relieve you of that notion. It is perhaps the best comprehensive video at illustrating just how morally dubious, technologically limited, and potentially dangerous Autopilot's "Full Self Driving" beta program is.

Link: 

Why self-driving cars need strong regulation and extensive safety testing before they hit the road: Tesla's "Full Self Driving" Beta Is Just Laughably Bad and Potentially Dangerous | Road and Track

MoBikeFed comment: We have been talking about safety issues regarding self-driving cars for several years now.

Among the points we--and other groups focused on road safety and reducing pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities--have made:

* Our roads are not beta testing grounds. Vehicles driving on public roads should be fully tested and proven safe. None of us signed up to be guinea pigs for large corporations to work out the bugs in their software.

* Fully, accurately, and reliably detecting people who walk and bicycle in and near public roadways is one of the most difficult tasks for self-driving vehicles. Self driving cars must be 100% capable in this area--in all weather and lighting conditions--before they are set loose on the public roads we all share.

* Reliably detecting people who walk and bicycle is only half the battle. Once properly detected, self-driving vehicles must then operate predictably and safely around vulnerable road users, as well as other motorized vehicles.

If you watch the full video linked in the article, you will see that the Tesla self-driving software fails on all three of these points.

And note that these points are not being made by bicycle or pedestrian advocates. They are being made by Road and Track, a publication for automobile enthusiasts--people who really, really love cars.

MoBikeFed is currently working with like-minded groups nationwide, like the League of American Bicyclists, to ensure that the next round of legislation in Congress about self-driving vehicles fully accounts for safety of all road users, including vulnerable road users such as people who walk, bicycle, use wheelchairs and other disability aids, and so on.