The truck is imposing, nothing impairs visibility and we see other vehicles drifting on the right-most lane to avoid it. Then arrives a white Model 3 which circulates on the left lane and rushes right on the obstacle without slowing down and comes to strike it with full force. According to the Taiwanese media CNA which recounts the facts, the driver, who miraculously emerged unscathed from this violent shock, would have explained that he had activated the Autopilot driving assistance system at 110 km / h. He believed that the device would detect and avoid the obstacle, which obviously was not the case.
A few meters from the impact, there is a cloud of smoke which seems to indicate that an emergency brake application has been attempted. It is unknown whether it is the result of the Autopilot or the driver of the Model 3 who, by the way, demonstrates his level of safety which earned him five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test and the title of the safest car in its class. Although the details of this accident are unclear, it once again highlights that, as Tesla makes clear, the Autopilot is not an autonomous driving system. It is a driving aid which requires the driver to keep his hands on the wheel at all times and his attention fixed on the road.
