US probes Tesla's Full Self-Driving software after fatal crash

I drive a 2024 Tesla Model Y and another person in my family drives a 2021 Model Y. Both cars are substantially similar (the 2021 actually has more sensors than the 2024, which is strictly cameras-only).

Both cars are running 12.5 -- and I agree that it's dramatically improved over 12.3.

I really enjoy driving. I've got a #vanlife Sprinter that I'll do 14 hour roadtrips in with my kids. For me, the Tesla's self-driving capability is a "nice to have" -- it sometimes drives like a 16 year old who just got their license (especially around braking. Somehow it's really hard to nail the "soft brake at a stop sign" which seems like it should be be easy. I find that passengers in the car are most uncomfortable when the car brakes like this -- and I'm the most embarrassed because they all look at me like I completely forgot how to do a smooth stop at a stop sign).

Other times, the Tesla's self-driving is magical and nearly flawless -- especially on long highway road trips, like up to Tahoe. Even someone like me who loves doing road trips really appreciates the ability to relax and not have to be driving.

But here's one observation I've had that I don't see quite sufficiently represented in the comments:

The other person in my family with the 2021 Model Y does not like to drive like I do, and they really appreciate that the Tesla is a better driver than they feel themselves to be. And as a passenger in their car, I also really appreciate that when the Tesla is driving, I generally feel much more comfortable in the car. Not always, but often.

There's so much variance in us as humans around driving skills and enjoyment. It's easy to lump us together and say "the car isn't as good as the human." And I know there's conflicting data from Tesla and NHTSA about whether in aggregate, Teslas are safer than human drivers or not.

But what I definitely know from my experience is that the Tesla is already a better driver than many humans are -- especially those that don't enjoy driving. And as @modeless points out, the rate of improvement is now vastly accelerating.

You are a living example of survivorship bias. One day your car will kill you or someone else, and then maybe you’ll be able to come back here and tell us how wrong you were. How, with your new experience, you can see how the car only “seemed” competent, how it was that very seeming competence that got someone killed, because you trusted it.

Has this relative considered that they may not be capable of driving safely at all if they (and others) really do believe that their tesla (whose driving software drives like a freshly licensed 16 year old per your comment) is a better driver? Isn't intervening when the tesla does something stupid/dangerous more difficult than just driving?

> Even someone like me who loves doing road trips really appreciates the ability to relax and not have to be driving.

Pardon the nitpick (and please excuse me if I'm interpreting your comment wrong here) but if someone is using whatever maximum capability self driving functionality is available, they are in fact still driving and should not be 'relaxed' as if they're a passenger.

I would posit that your observation about your relative and the variance in driving skills is not commonly discussed because there's no self driving cars that can actually replace a driver yet, and an unsafe driver relying on 'self driving' software is still an unsafe driver who should not drive.

I realise that there's many understandable reasons people can't just give up their cars and carry on like normal. Helping people to stay mobile, connected, and independent is important, but an unsafe driver is, well, unsafe. It kinda terrifies me that people might be encouraging the elderly people (for example) in their lives to get teslas to keep them driving when they aren't capable of driving safely any more because it's still unsafe.