Tesla’s Autonomous Driving Software and Safety Research

Tesla’s Autonomous Driving Software and Research Findings

While Tesla has released its latest update for fully automatic driving software, a new study conducted in the United Kingdom suggests that “supervised” autonomous driving modes like Tesla’s could negatively impact our overall driving quality.

Elon Musk claims that Tesla’s new software, labeled v12.4.3, includes fully retrained models that provide smoother acceleration and braking, allowing the driver to intervene less and thus increasing comfort levels. Musk is so confident in this updated software that, according to Electrek, he suggests that it will take “more than a year for a single intervention to be needed.” However, he emphasizes that there are still some bugs that need to be fixed before reaching this point.

As Tesla continues with its advanced semi and fully autonomous systems, some experts still believe that semi-autonomous vehicles pose safety risks. A study conducted by the University of Nottingham in the UK, designed to simulate SAE Level 3 autonomous driving (known as “conditional” automation where the driver does not drive under certain conditions), further raises concerns on this matter. The study analyzed the behaviors of 17 drivers, each accompanied by a front passenger.

In the study, drivers were allowed to take both hands off the steering wheel and divert their eyes from the road when the vehicle entered autonomous driving mode. This practice usually occurs on clearly marked highways or motorways, as well as at low speeds in congestion situations. During the tests, scientists found that a significant portion of participants spent most of their time chatting with their passengers, checking their smartphones or smartwatches, and even playing games. Some participants even went so far as to find the experience “boring.”

The Main Issue: Arises When Human Intervention is Required

However, researchers note that when the vehicle calls for human intervention, driving performance is severely affected by many distractions. The study states that “vehicle control was generally poor for all participants in the ten seconds immediately following a return to manual driving” and adds, “There was a noticeable deterioration in control after two to three seconds, and even after ten seconds, there was a tendency to remain unstable.” This situation led to erratic acceleration and braking, significant lateral imbalance, and even caused participants to miss intersections and directional signs as a result of being so engaged with games or secondary tasks.

This study, supported by the RAC Foundation, was initially designed to observe how drivers reacted in autonomous driving modes accompanied by a passenger in the front seat. However, researchers discovered that the additional distractions negatively impacted driving performance when it was time to regain control of the steering wheel. Additionally, it was observed that in many cases, the front passenger took on an observer role when they sensed the driver’s attention was diverted. This situation led scientists to conclude that automobile manufacturers need to “include all potential users in the design of future vehicles.”