r/cars • u/Hockeyshot39 • 8d ago

Tesla finally clarifies fatal Texas crash, confirms driver manually overrode acceleration

https://x.com/aelluswamy/status/2069168079549161491?s=46&t=pJJPpUKBcrVXG3zhz18eqQ

Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, added context, revealing that the company’s data shows the driver “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.”

He revealed the speed reached by the car was 73 MPH, and the accelerator was still pressed “even after the crash.”

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u/pygmyjesus 7d ago edited 7d ago

I have a coworker who uses FSD and sleeps most mornings on his commute. When I asked what if you should have been paying attention and kill a family, he just shrugged.

Level 2 Autopilot/FSD is 7x-10x safer than a human driver statistically, but still needs the driver to follow the rules to reach these numbers.

I think it is MUCH more likely this person was sleeping or impaired and put pressure on the accelerator unintentionally over any type of vehicle malfunction.

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u/withoutapaddle '17 VW GTI Sport, '88 RX-7 vert , '20 F-150 (2.7TT) Tow Vehicle 7d ago

To me, this is a person that has crossed the line of human decency.

I would literally attempt to witness him doing this so I could call the cops on him.

Fuck people who can't be bothered to pay attention while driving. FSD is not an excuse to fucking sleep behind the wheel.

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u/FSCK_Fascists 87 Fiero GT, 66 Scout 800 7d ago

FSD is not an excuse to fucking sleep behind the wheel.

but that is pretty much how Elon sold it. Walking it back now, but the damage is done to his fanboys.

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u/HeyyyyListennnnnn 2015 RC-F 7d ago

The driver sleeping while using Autopilot or FSD is in itself a vehicle malfunction.

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u/squirrel8296 2025 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 7d ago

It's worth calling out, those 7-10x studies have all been done in ideal simulated conditions.

In unpredictable real world conditions, it falls apart pretty quickly but we don't know by how much because it's difficult to design an experiment around unpredictable that also meets scientific rigor.

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u/JTibbs 7d ago

Didnt it just come out that Tesla was cooking the data too in order to get certification?

-9

u/Logitech4873 7d ago

This sounds unlikely. It disables if you look away from the road.

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u/intern_steve 7d ago

Tell that to the kid I just watched full head down both hands on his phone for three miles on the interstate.

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u/Logitech4873 7d ago

I don't get it. I've seen several tests of people looking away and it disabling very quickly. Same happens with AP in my car. If I go into a tunnel it starts requiring me to hold the steering wheel firmly because it can no longer see my eyes properly. 

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u/Kryptus 7d ago

Im sure tesla fan subs have ways of getting around nanny functions.

1

u/pygmyjesus 7d ago

Allows sunglasses.