A new video published on YouTube shows a Seattle Uber driver saved from a crash by his Tesla’s autopilot system.
Jon Hall wrote under the video, “Was travelling a little under 45 mph. There was some rain, but roads were pretty dry. I was watching stopped traffic to my right.”
Hall was driving his Tesla Model S P85D on State Route 99 just north of downtown Seattle when the incident occurred. Glancing at cars in the right lane, he didn’t see a Honda Civic coming toward him from the opposite direction. The Honda suddenly made a left turn by cutting in front of him.
The Tesla reacted instantly, stopping on a dime and possibly saving Hall’s life. Hall told GeekWire, “I was watching traffic to my right and that Honda turned right in front of me. I would have smashed right into him had the car not hit the (brakes) for me.” Hall posted on the video, “I did not touch the brake. Car did all the work. Sadly no audio, because I had an Uber passenger and Washington has strict privacy laws about recording conversations.”
Tesla’s autopilot system, unlike semi-autonomous systems from Audi, Mercedes, and Volvo, can let the car change lanes by itself. It automatically keeps a certain distance from the car in front, both at highway speeds and on city streets, according to CBS San Francisco.
Tesla founder Elon Musk had said of his car, “In the long term, it will be safer than a person driving.”
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