1w ago

Tesla reintroduces 'Mad Max' Full Self-Driving mode that breaks speed limits

www.engadget.com

Tesla has added another brazenly stupid new entry to its dubious safety record.

23 comments

Mr Elon people are worried about how unsafe the Tesla is what should we do.
Elon, ripping an enormous line of coke: "oh I'll give them something to worry about"
How is this even legal? If a toaster manufacturer introduces a setting "kill neighbour's dog" it would get sued into oblivion.
I swear, America's got issues man...
- We call it a democracy but it's been an oligarchy for over a century.
  
  No.
  Oligarchy has waxed and waned throughout US history. It's latest rise has only been over the last 50 years or so. They were kept thoroughly in check for 40ish years before that. It was after Nixon's pardon that they realized they might be able to get away with it again.
- Well, all cars are made to go waaayy above any speed limits, unless you're driving on a German autobahn.
  I know what you mean, but by that logic we should only make cars that go up to 80mph.
  
  The majority of electric vehicles have speed limiters (I.e. escooters and ebikes), but the moment somebody suggests putting speed limits on cars, the #2 killer of children (behind guns), everybody loses their minds.
  
  That's not at all the same logic. Yes, cars can go way above speed limits. And there are use cases where cars need to have more power (driving uphill for example). But this is about an autopilot specifically programmed/instructed to actually go above speed limits, and going above speed limits is illegal. So the setting in itself is illegal. Having the technical ability to go above speed limits is not. If the driver chooses to use that ability and go above speed limits, it's illegal again. This is not rocket science.
- I can see it both ways
  On the one hand I don't think companies should be legally required to restrict the freedoms of consumers. Stuff like this is why custom roms were illegal for a while in the US.
  On the other hand, safety is involved
- mad max= isolates and locks into children and small animals and steps on the gas.
I was really confused why this was news because I remembered trying mad max mode. It's fucking batshit how aggressively it merges on that mode. I turned it off immediately. Although the speeding thing isn't new, all the autopilot modes will let you set the speed to 15 over or more by default
- Part of me wonders if they sell your driving telemetry to your insurance company, and if those companies pay out more for data on worse offenders. If so, they're just letting you tie your own increased insurance rate noose by providing that option, for their own financial gain.
  
  Presumably not in California or wherever else there are sensible data protection laws?
- Probably necessary for driving in Boston

23 comments