Public safety advocacy group The Dawn Project reveals alarming results in a real-world safety test of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology, supervised by prominent Tesla investor Ross Gerber. The event underscores the ongoing debate on autonomous vehicle safety.
What’s Happening
The Dawn Project, an advocate for public safety, recently revealed concerning safety defects in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software during a live-streamed test. The test, supervised by prominent Tesla investor Ross Gerber, almost resulted in a collision as the vehicle ran through a stop sign in Santa Barbara, California.
Why It Matters
This incident underscores the growing concerns and debates about the safety and reliability of autonomous driving technologies. Ross Gerber, a major investor in Tesla, had challenged Dan O’Dowd, Founder of The Dawn Project, to a ride-along, aiming to disprove the group’s previous safety defect findings. The test drive was part of their ongoing discourse on the necessary precautions for developing autonomous driving systems, which are being streamed on YouTube.
Key Points
During the test drive, Gerber’s FSD-equipped Tesla failed to acknowledge a stop sign and nearly caused an accident. This occurrence, despite Gerber’s supervision, supported The Dawn Project’s prior findings about critical safety defects in Tesla’s FSD software. O’Dowd maintains that their tests are genuine and their safety concerns are valid. Gerber’s immediate brake application potentially prevented a catastrophe, reinforcing O’Dowd’s argument that such a system should not be sold to consumers or permitted on public roads.
Bottom Line
Despite Tesla’s claims that The Dawn Project’s safety tests are unfounded, the live-streamed incident shows the real-world risks posed by current autonomous driving technologies. O’Dowd, an experienced figure in designing and writing secure, safety-critical software, continues to campaign for safe and secure software in safety-critical infrastructure. The Dawn Project will conduct and publish further safety tests on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software in the coming weeks, keeping the public informed on this critical issue.
