A Tesla driver in America has posted footage of his narrow escape in a blizzard to the internet, after his car’s autonomous driving sensors appeared to detect and react to a crash before the driver could see it had happened.
The footage, captured on dashcam, shows the appalling visibility caused by snowy and icy conditions. Despite the snowstorm, cars – including the camera-bearing Tesla – were still travelling along the highway at a fair speed.
Suddenly it became apparent that the snowstorm was hiding an accident scene – with a car strewn sideways across the road following a spin on the icy surface.
Luckily, the driver’s Tesla was fitted with the brand’s Autopilot system. This does include Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving functions, which can be switched on and off, but it also features several collision mitigation features such as autonomous emergency braking which function at all times.
Threading the needle. Model 3 auto braked and kept from sliding out, avoiding a crash while driving too fast for conditions. from r/TeslaModel3
The driver reported that their car ‘started to brake before the stopped car came into view.’
Writing on social network Reddit, they said: “When I swerved to [the] right I could feel the Tesla keeping us straight avoiding a spin out like the car in front of us. I felt like I was the best driver in the world threading the needle.”
Luckily for all concerned, none of the surrounding cars succumbed to the weather and suffered a crash. Though the vehicle immediately in front of the Tesla appeared to have a rather hairy moment, swerving across the road and nearly losing traction in a bid to avoid an impact, it managed to regain control.
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