We’ll start this by reminding everyone we just ran a post on how advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) will only prevent crashes if human use them correctly. The Tesla driver in this video did not do that. Courtesy of YouTube channel Wham Bam Teslacam, via Road & Track, someone named Ryan was behind the wheel of the Model 3 above. Ryan had Tesla’s Full Self Driving engaged while doing 60 miles per hour on the highway outside Mono City, a town in north central California outside Yosemite National Park. California, like the rest of the country, is experiencing some wacky weather that’s just lead to the first tropical storm to make landfall there in ages. Standing water dots roadways around Mono City thanks to that weather. Ryan not only ignored the standing water, he ignored Tesla’s admonition to every FSD user that it is the driver’s responsibility to always pay attention and to take control of the vehicle at any moment when necessary.
According to the video, which purports to tell Ryan’s story, Ryan passed a “FLOODED” sign placed on the roadside. He paid no heed, since county authorities place such signs in areas that don’t have water present (gee, we wonder why that might be…). Perhaps 200 yards past the sign, standing water covered the highway for more than 100 feet, considering each dashed white line is ten feet long. Instead of taking control of the vehicle, Ryan told WBT, “The car did not decelerate appropriately when crossing a stream of water,” but plowed in at 60 mph, the Model 3 getting a little squirrely as it approached the far bank of the highway above the water. When the car hit the open concrete again, the new and sudden friction equations were more than the Model 3’s traction control could solve and handle. We’re not sure when Ryan grabbed the controls, but whenever it was, it was too late. The Model 3 veered left across the thankfully empty oncoming lane, then off the edge of the highway and over a small rock ridge to land in a puddle large enough and deep enough to leave it resting like you see above.
Does it get worse? Yes, it gets worse. Ryan got his car towed out of the bog and is waiting on a repair estimate while he considers his next steps. He apparently told WBT he wants to sue the Mono City and Tesla for … something … and he would like help with his case from any WBT viewers. That’s about all we have the stomach for, so check out the video and come to your own conclusions.
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