‘I should have been dead’: Critics warn Tesla’s autonomy isn’t ready yet
Tesla’s hands-free vehicles have arrived in Australia, allowing drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and feet off the pedal, but experts warn the technology is far from perfect.
‘Hands-free’ Teslas using fully self-driving (supervised) software are now operating on Australian roads, making Australia and New Zealand the first right-hand drive markets to get the feature.
Although the system can manage steering, acceleration and braking, Tesla emphasizes that the system is not fully autonomous and requires a driver with full attention at all times.
60 Minutes Australia correspondent Amelia Adams joined motor expert James Ward for a test drive around Sydney and experienced first-hand the excitement and unnerving reality of Tesla’s near-autonomous driving system.
“All we do is press and hold the ‘fully autonomous driving supervised’ option and away we go. It’s bananas,” Mr Ward said.
But excitement quickly turned to nerves. Ms Adams described the experience of seeing Mr Ward driving with his hands off the steering wheel as “a bit unnerving”.
Hoax and Reality
The software’s introduction follows years of dramatic promises by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who once stated that “getting in a car will be like getting in an elevator.”
“You just tell it where you want to go and it will get you there extremely safely,” Musk said.
He has repeatedly claimed that the technology is on the verge of completion, claiming that “full autonomy is less than two years away.”
“It’s done. It’s safer than a human,” Mr. Musk said.
But experts warn that these promises dangerously oversell the technology.
Director of the Center for Autonomy and Robotics at George Mason University, Dr. Missy Cummings said for 60 minutes that “the jury is out now.”
“The jury is out. The technology has a lot of problems,” Dr Cummings said.
“I think driverless cars don’t think, they don’t know, they don’t reason like humans. They don’t dream. They just act according to the patterns they see in the world.”
Dr Cummings also expressed concerns about Tesla relying solely on cameras and rejecting LIDAR and radar.
“Tesla says they don’t need radar and LiDAR… And that’s completely wrong. Robots can’t work with a single sensor in safety-critical systems,” he explained.
He added that computer vision is “the most unreliable of all these sensors.”
“I think Tesla drivers are the guinea pigs,” he said, adding that the bigger problem is that “everyone else on the road” is also affected.
During the 60 Minutes test drive in Sydney, the car automatically accelerated, braked and stopped for pedestrians without Mr Ward touching the controls.
However, when the system headed towards the construction site, it showed a serious flaw.
“There we go. Off we go… Ooh. Look at that, we’re entering a construction zone. That was a ‘no trespassing’ sign,” Mr. Ward said as they passed.
“We made a mistake.”
A sad US case
The dangers of over-reliance on Tesla’s autopilot have been tragically proven abroad. In 2019, a Tesla driver in Florida, relying on Autopilot, drove through an intersection, seriously injuring 27-year-old Dillon Angulo and killing his girlfriend, Naibel Benavides.
“I should have died,” Mr. Angulo said of his injuries, which included a pelvis fracture, tailbone fracture and brain hemorrhage.
Reflecting on the loss of his partner, he said he had to remember for the rest of his life that he “didn’t bring Naibel back to his family.”
Mr. Angulo and Ms. Naibel’s family sued Tesla and won a historic $375 million verdict, with a federal jury finding the automaker partially liable.
Brett Schrieber, who led the courtroom fight, emphasized that this has broader implications.
“You can’t use our public roads as a test track,” Mr. Schrieber said.
He also criticized the contrast between Tesla’s marketing and its courtroom defense. “You’ve got Tesla in your showroom, right? And Tesla in the showroom is talking about how they’ve built a car with fully autonomous driving. And then you put that up against Tesla in the courtroom. And Tesla is talking in the courtroom about how it’s just a driver-assist feature. It requires constant supervision.”
Mr. Angulo said he followed the case to highlight the risks.
“I felt like, this technology wasn’t ready yet and it failed, you know, killed Naibel, killed him, and seriously injured me. And I felt like it was an experiment.”
Australian regulators under fire
Despite clear dangers identified in the US, Australian regulatory intervention is reportedly minimal.
Dr Cummings, who witnessed the results first-hand, said his warnings to the federal government went unanswered.
“Nothing,” he said.
It also warned that US-based software may not be able to handle Australian driving conditions safely.
“I think your regulator should ask Tesla how much training you have done on Australian street signs?”
Australian Road Safety Foundation CEO Russell White expressed concern at the lack of action.
“You can’t just bury your head in the sand and think we’ll deal with it when it comes. Once it’s in the market it’s very difficult to control it and pull it back,” Mr White said.
He fears that serious events may be inevitable.
“Unfortunately, I think it would take something big to make that happen.”
Mr Ward suggested Australia’s “regulated” label was designed to protect Tesla rather than protect drivers.
“It’s probably there to protect Tesla,” he said.
According to Mr Angulo, the warning to Australian motorists is urgent and personal.
“Don’t be fooled by the marketing of these cars. Don’t be fooled by what Elon Musk says,” Mr. Angulo said.
“Hopefully we will take this to court and expose Tesla…it will also help bring justice to other families and hopefully shine a light and show people that these cars are not safe.”
“Don’t trust them with your family.”
