Children are, unfortunately, victims of accidents even when a vehicle is not in motion. A report from 2024 noted that 37 children under the age of 15 die each year because they are left in cars, usually dying from heatstroke.

Tesla has made a few attempts to eliminate the possibility of this happening. Back in September, coding from Software Update 2024.32 noted that the company would be using an alert system to warn people of children left behind:

Tesla set to roll out new child safety and navigation features, coding shows

This was enabled by the use of a wave sensor within the cabin, a piece of tech Teslarati found in a filing back in 2021 with the FCC.

The entire idea behind this addition to the vehicles was to alert owners if there were passengers left in the car.

Now, Tesla is adding another level of this to its mobile app, according to a decompile of the Version 4.44.0 update, which is rolling out to customers now.

Tesla App Updates on X revealed a “Child Left Alone Detection” feature in the new app version, which has a few strings from a software perspective:

• Cannot turn off climate when Child Left Alone Detection is active
• Climate failed to start. Climate is unavailable when Child Left Alone Detection is active.
• Climate controls are disabled when Child Left Alone Detection is active
• Unable to start software update while a child is detected in your vehicle

It appears that, if the vehicle detects a child or another occupant in the car, climate controls will be disabled through the app in an attempt to maintain a proper cabin temperature. Turning the temperature up or even turning climate control off from the app will not be possible.

This is a major update to this feature as it only bolsters the safety of the occupants in the event that they are left behind. Of course, many of us might ask, “How do you leave a child in the car?”

However, it happens, as past events have shown, and this is a great way to eliminate it from happening in Tesla vehicles.

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Tesla has been known for continuously refining and improving things like navigation in its vehicles, but it is also known for adding small features that improve safety.

A few years ago, Teslarati uncovered a filing that showed the automaker was taking a focus on child detection by filing a wave sensor with the FCC. This feature would help alert drivers that they still have children in the car, which is a major concern, as leaving kids in the car is somehow an issue for some.

CNN reported earlier this year that 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from being left in cars, usually losing their lives to heatstroke.

According to Tesla hacker greentheonly, this is an issue that is going to be offset with a new feature with the 2024.32 Software Update. Owners can now add “smart child seats” in the UI that will alert owners when someone is left in the vehicle:

Other stuff in 2024.32:
“smart child seats” that you can add in UI, it will also alert you when you leave a child behind. ( behind server side switch)
Hands-free frunk and trunk (formerly only trunk)
Philippine support added (for imminent launch?) pic.twitter.com/Nt0xlczenk

— green (@greentheonly) September 7, 2024

Additionally, Tesla is adding a new navigation feature that will alert drivers of upcoming hazards. We reported on this several weeks ago, but it looks like the feature is finally getting a wide release:

Nav turn list now includes icons for all the road dangers like police, accidents, speed traps and so on

— green (@greentheonly) September 7, 2024

Although this is a relatively common feature in other navigation suites, Tesla adding it only helps it become more well-rounded.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

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According to Vi Bilägare, Volvo’s interior control layout consistently outperformed many rivals in terms of ease of use. Furthermore, the testing found that physical controls (buttons, knobs, and switches) consistently outperformed touchscreens and haptic options.

The testing conducted by the Swedish car website tested 12 vehicles in their ability to accomplish a variety of tasks while traveling at highway speeds. The four tests included;

1. Turn on the seat heater, increase the cabin heating by 2 degrees, and start the defroster.
2. Turn on the radio and navigate to “Sweden’s Program 1” station.
3. Reset the trip computer.
4. Lower the instrument lighting to the lowest setting and turn off the center display.

Vi Bilägare performed the tests continuously and the driver was timed as they completed the tasks; once complete, it was measured how far the vehicle traveled while going 110 kilometers per hour.

The vehicles tested include a 2005 Volvo V70, a Volvo C40, a Volkswagen ID.3, a Tesla Model 3, a Subaru Outback, a Seat Leon, a Nissan Qashqai, an MG Marvel R, a Mercedes GLB, a Hyundai Ioniq 5, a Dacia Sandero, and a BMW iX. And in a surprise to nobody who has driven a mid-2000s Volvo, the old-school V70 dominated the comparison.

In accomplishing all of the tests, the 2005 Volvo only took 10 seconds and traveled 306 meters. The MG Marvel R took the longest time at 44.9 seconds. Every vehicle measured, except the Volvo C40, took over twice the amount of time as the 2005 Volvo, meaning that drivers were paying less attention to the road for a more extended period of time, leading to a less safe experience.

On top of the fact that the touchscreens tested took far longer than the physical controls, some also moved the driver’s attention further away from the road. In the case of the MG Marvel R, the driver had to look down much further than in the other vehicles.

Why are manufacturers so dedicated to touchscreens, haptics, and voice controls? The researchers point out a couple of ideas. Foremost is cost. Manufacturers can make their vehicles more cost-effectively by removing physical controls and centralizing them in a single touchscreen. However, interior design also plays a role, as designers want to create a “clean” driving environment. Finally, some consumers view vehicle buttons as antiquated technology compared to touchscreens and haptic controls, despite their worse performance in accomplishing tasks.

The Tesla Model 3 performed admirably, but it would be interesting to see if the different Tesla models perform differently from one another, particularly if there is a difference between dual screen equipped Model S and the other vehicles. Furthermore, it may be interesting to see how different UI changes could influence this testing. There are likely many ways that touchscreen controls can be improved through software enhancements. Hopefully, automakers can make future changes to continue improving UI and limit how long drivers take their eyes off the road.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Tesla’s Vehicle Safety Report for Q4 2019 revealed that a Tesla on Autopilot was involved in one accident for every 3.07 million miles driven. For those without Autopilot but use the active safety features of the vehicle, there was one accident per 2.10 million miles driven. Tesla owners who do not use Autopilot and other active safety features were involved in one accident for every 1.64 million miles driven. Overall, these numbers are far better than what’s been recorded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which indicates there being one automobile crash in the United States every 479,000 miles.

The Q4 accidents involving Teslas are a bit higher compared with the previous quarter when it registered one accident for every 4.34 million miles for those using Autopilot. Those who do not have the Autopilot engaged but use active safety features were involved in one accident per 2.19 million miles driven. Those who do not use Autopilot and active safety features of Teslas were involved in one road mishap per 1.41 million miles.

The apparent decline in the safety statistics can be attributed to the time of the year when the roads are busier because of several holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas Day in the United States. Weather can also be a factor that may have worsened driving conditions. However, one still cannot deny that the numbers are impressive as driving with Autopilot engaged is still more than six times safer than the average, and driving without Autopilot or active safety features is still three to four times safer compared to the average.

“Accident rates among all vehicles on the road can vary from quarter to quarter and can be affected by seasonality, like reduced daylight and inclement weather conditions,” Tesla’s microsite on Vehicle Safety Report reads. “Model S, Model X and Model 3 have achieved the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program.”

In terms of vehicle fire data, the electric car manufacturer summarized that between 2012 and 2019, there’s only one Tesla vehicle fire for every 175 million miles traveled. In contrast, there’s one vehicle fire reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for every 19 million miles traveled. This is an improvement compared to the 2012-2018 Vehicle Fire Date where Tesla registered one vehicle fire for every 170 miles traveled.

Tesla vehicles are among the safest cars in the world today. For example, Tesla Model 3 earned an overall rating of 5 stars in the NHTSA 2019 safety rating. The mass-produced electric sedan, together with its Model X sibling, also took top honors in Euro NCAP’s Best in Class Cars 2019 List.

With the improvement of the Autopilot and the Full Self-Driving capabilities of Teslas, we can only expect these Tesla safety statistics to improve and this will eventually lead to safer roads for other vehicles and for pedestrians as well.

You can read Tesla’s Q4 2019 Vehicle Safety Report below:

Accident Data

In the 4th quarter, we registered one accident for every 3.07 million miles driven in which drivers had Autopilot engaged. For those driving without Autopilot but with our active safety features, we registered one accident for every 2.10 million miles driven. For those driving without Autopilot and without our active safety features, we registered one accident for every 1.64 million miles driven. By comparison, NHTSA’s most recent data shows that in the United States there is an automobile crash every 479,000 miles.

Vehicle Fire Data

From 2012 – 2019, there has been approximately one Tesla vehicle fire for every 175 million miles traveled. By comparison, data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation shows that in the United States there is a vehicle fire for every 19 million miles traveled.

In order to provide an apt comparison to NFPA data, Tesla’s data set includes instances of vehicle fires caused by structure fires, arson, and other things unrelated to the vehicle, which account for some of the Tesla vehicle fires over this time period.

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A Model S driver in Switzerland posted a video that shows a close-call situation after three cars in the opposite lane veered into their lane, in an attempt to overtake a slow-moving farm tractor. With the vehicle’s Autopilot system engaged at 50 mph (85 km/h), the driver under the Reddit username l10i recounts seeing a Ford Kuga driving directly at them while overtaking the tractor. The Ford was followed by two other vehicles that were also looking to also pass the farm vehicle. The second vehicle is seen coming in close proximity to l10i’s Model S, barely missing it as it quickly swerves back. The third vehicle, a van, doesn’t have enough room to overtake the tractor and retreats to their original lane.

“I saw the first car (Ford Kuga) beginning to overtake the tractor and said to myself « Okay, that’s ballsy. But it should be fine… if you hit the gas… come on! ». I chose to let Autopilot do its thing and was ready to take over, maybe planning to honk the Kuga when passing by if it was too close. That’s when I saw one more car and then a van starting to overtake the tractor with a hundred meters to spare, that was not gonna happen!” said the driver of the Model S.

However, l10i notes that Autopilot’s safety feature impressed not only because of its Forward Collision Warning system and its ability to detect the oncoming car – there have been countless videos posted by Tesla owners in the past, showing Autopilot saving them from an imminent collision – rather, it was the vehicle’s ability to detect the threat of oncoming danger well in advance that made it even more impressive.

According to the driver, Tesla’s suite of sensors including the vehicle’s forward facing cameras and radar were able to identify the Ford while it was turning into their lane and still 250-feet (75 meters) away, and sound a series of chimes and visual indicator to alert the driver of possible danger. “The AP was well aware of the Kuga being in MY lane at that distance! The radar alone can’t tell if the echo is on the correct lane (any normal oncoming traffic) or not. I find this latest update quite impressive indeed.” said l10i.

RELATED: Tesla fan puts himself in front of a moving Model S to test Autopilot collision avoidance capabilities

Tesla’s Owners Manual for Model S indicates that the vehicle’s cameras and sensors associated with Forward Collision Warning can monitor an area up to 525 feet (160 meters) in the vehicle’s driving path. Although Tesla vehicles equipped with the Collision Avoidance Assist system also features Automatic Emergency Braking, the company warns drivers to use appropriate caution when operating a vehicle and be prepared to take corrective action at all times. Only in situations where a frontal collision is considered unavoidable will Automatic Emergency Braking be applied, with the goal of reducing the severity of an impact. Another relatively unknown safety feature is Tesla’s “Active Hood” that’s designed to minimize injury from a collision with pedestrians.

Watch l10i’s video below and let us know what you think of the Tesla’s safety feature.

The post Tesla Autopilot warns driver well ahead of potential head-on collision appeared first on TESLARATI.

Tesla prides itself as a company that manufactures some of the safest vehicles on the road, and this is evident in the Elon Musk-led electric car maker’s latest safety update to its customers. In Tesla’s note, the electric car firm stated that while there have been no untoward incidents reported so far with regards to the Model S’ Takata airbags; the company is taking the initiative to replace the defective inflators now. The carmaker further noted that it would be contacting all Tesla Model S owners who are affected by the Takata recall. Thus, no immediate action is required from those whose vehicles are affected by the issue.

The California-based electric car and energy firm also reminded its customers that Takata’s faulty airbags affect millions of vehicles on the road. Considering the scope of the issue, Tesla would be following the NHTSA’s guidelines and replacing affected vehicles’ airbags in phases, depending on the electric cars’ manufacturing date. According to Tesla, however, it would be continuing its airbag replacement initiative even if regulators do not require a full-scale recall.

One thing that Tesla did emphasize in its latest safety update, however, was the fact that eventually, Model S vehicles that were manufactured up to late 2016 might subsequently be called back for possible airbag issues. Currently, the ongoing Takata recall only affects Model S cars that were produced from 2012-2013. Considering that Takata airbags were fitted on the flagship sedan well after those years, however, recalls for 2014-2016 Model S would likely happen. Tesla did state, however, that Model X and Model 3 vehicles, as well as the first-generation Tesla Roadster, are not affected by Takata’s faulty airbags, since these cars were not equipped with the firm’s defective inflators.

Takata’s faulty airbags have become one of the biggest scandals in the auto industry during the past few years. The defective units, which have a tendency to shoot shrapnel into passengers during impact, have caused at least 139 injuries and two fatalities, according to a Car and Driver report. Being one of the world’s most prolific airbag manufacturers, Takata was the brand of choice for many car makers including Tesla, which was just an electric car startup then.

Recalls for Takata’s faulty airbags were initiated eventually, but by that time, injuries caused by the defective inflators were already piling up. By August 2015, Tesla became one of only two carmakers that were not mandated to recall its vehicles due to Takata’s faulty airbags. In the following months, however, it became evident that some Model S were equipped with defective airbag units. By early 2017, Tesla issued a recall for 2997 Model S sedans that were manufactured in 2012.

Tesla’s official safety update for the Model S could be viewed here.

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In heavy rain, especially at night, our sense of the road is significantly degraded. Bright lights reflecting off the shiny black road make lane-markings difficult to distinguish. Powerful windshield wipers struggle to keep up with pounding rain. Passing vehicles unexpectedly throw dense bunches of water onto the windscreen, blinding us temporarily at the very moments we need our undivided attention on the road.

It can be surprising to watch Autopilot perform in such difficult weather. In good daytime weather, our critical eye may judge the automated system as performing only about on a par with our own confident driving abilities. However, in nighttime rainstorms, when our perceptive abilities and responses may be uncomfortably taxed to their limits, Autopilot seems more certain. Although Autopilot’s detection systems are similarly challenged, to a degree, it is at the times when things get most difficult for us that we begin to see in Autopilot a potentially life-saving ally.

In this video you can see representations of Autopilot’s sensors on the Tesla display screen as it switches rapidly among its sensing tools. The camera, radar and ultrasonic inputs to Autopilot’s software are displayed in real time. Autopilot’s primary focus is on detecting lane-markings, which glow blue on the dash screen. Often, one or the other of the two markings disappear as they become undetectable to the camera. As one disappears, the other often becomes detectable again. This goes on, switching back and forth; one is visible, then the other, then both. But sometimes they are both gone at the same time. When this happens, on the screen the vehicle ahead turns from its camera registered grey to the radar-tracked blue. Remarkably, when operating on radar alone, and even while traversing long curves, the Tesla remains safely in its lane.

All the while, ultrasonic sensors register adjacent vehicles and roadway infrastructure, indicated onscreen as waves of graduated, color-coded light; safe, informative white, cautious orange and sometimes, dangerous red. The Autopilot screen flickers its rapid switching among its detection tools, faster than the eye can absorb, as the Tesla ploughs through the rain and keeps comfortably in its lane.

The video shows Autopilot performing in a variety of situations,. The most surprising sequence is shown at the end when there is no vehicle ahead, and all other detection indications are absent; no blue glow of the lane-markings and of course no forward vehicle in the urgently needed radar-tracked blue. While Autopilot is apparently receiving no road orientation guidance, the Tesla inexplicably remains centered in its lane, following the curve of the darkened road.

My hands were on the wheel, ready to take control at all times during this 90 minute journey, (only three minutes shown in the video). I corrected Autopilot twice, once when it appeared to be following a car that was changing lanes, and once when it indicated a truck (represented momentarily as a car), as being off the road to the right when it wasn’t. That time, at 2:15 in the video, my correction is shown, which may or may not have been necessary, but probably was.

At this stage in its development, supervising Autopilot takes perhaps even more attention than when a person is driving the car himself.  Even so, the combination of Autopilot’s near flawless performance and my oversight certainly made this a safe drive.  When Autopilot becomes fully autonomous, difficult driving conditions will be much safer than what accident statistics tell us they are today.

More from ‘Tesla Autopilot Safety’

• Autopilot ultrasonic sensors handle difficult merging event
• Tesla Autopilot – improvements in safety features
• How does Autopilot react to disappearing lane markings?
• Autopilot emergency braking saves driver from head-on collision (Video)

The post Tesla Autopilot Delivering Safety in Bad Weather appeared first on TESLARATI.

The perpendicular parking test, which I repeated about eight times in the same parking spot as used in the video, convinced me that the sensor-software combination is very accurate and reliable.  If I hadn’t had that prior experience, I may not have left the AP to carry through uninterrupted in the present video.

The video begins with a red truck passing normally while the two lanes continue well ahead of his passing location.  Following that truck, the driver of a Toyota decides to pass, but his decision to do so is too late.  Well before he reaches the rear of my car, the lane-marking between the two lanes has disappeared, and his pass will take place entirely in a one lane section of road that is predictably narrowing to a standard lane width.

In a situation where two lanes merge to one, the normal behaviour of the AP is to hug the outside lane and, after the lane-divider marking is gone, allow itself be shepherded by the converging outer lane-marking toward the centre lane-marking as the road narrows.  I’ve noticed in the past that this situation can be complicated by other traffic.  Sometimes I have taken control.

In this case the AP was steering as expected.  The Toyota then presented it with a vehicle closing on the Tesla’s left side while the lane-marking was closing in on the right side.  The sensors were picking up both the Toyota and the lane-marking.

A similar scenario often occurs in slow moving traffic when the Tesla is in the centre lane with traffic on both sides of it.  If the lanes are narrow, the AP stays within the lane-markings as general guidance, but as the sensors pick up the vehicles on either side, it adjusts its position within the lane so it is more or less equal distant from each flanking vehicle.

And again, during the perpendicular parking test, the AP demonstrated a goal of finding an equal distance between the parked cars on either side.  In that case it even exited the spot for a new approach so as to achieve that goal.

In the present video, the AP strove to remain within the lane-marking while being very much aware of the closing vehicle on its left.  In my mind there is no question that the AP is programmed to give greater priority to avoiding contact with the vehicle than transgressing the lane-marking.

I suspect that if crossing the lane-marking to avoid the vehicle became imminent, the AP would have required the driver to take control, but this did not happen, and the situation resolved itself by the Toyota pulling ahead.

This performance of the AP shows highly sophisticated programming/decision-making.  If the AP were to defer to the driver in every case that could be seen as tending toward risk, then we as drivers would probably be called upon much too often to take over.  This video probably shows about the limit of the strategy of letting the AP continue up to the point of imminent danger.  At each point throughout, I felt certain that I had enough room on the right side, beyond the lane-marking, and also to the rear, that I could have comfortably exited the situation if called upon to do so.

This experience enhances my confidence in the capabilities of the AP software, the hardware it relies on, and the general strategy of allowing it to remain autonomous well into complex scenarios.

Tesla Autopilot Demonstrations

• Tesla Autopilot delivering safety in bad weather (Video)
• First look at Tesla Model X being ‘Summoned’
• Testing v7.1 Autosteer speed limit restrictions
• Tesla Autopilot Perpendicular Parking demo

The post Tesla Autopilot ultrasonic sensors handle difficult merging event appeared first on TESLARATI.

Autopilot makes a great traffic companion, even when heavy traffic is caused by a little rain. But what happens when a little rain turns into a lot of rain? Autopilot would rather you do the work.

On a recent drive home, I noticed that the Autosteer feature of the Autopilot suite was not showing on the screen as an option on a stretch of highway where it is always available.

For background on the dash graphics for Autopilot, a small analog odometer symbol on the left of the car’s current speed shows you that traffic aware cruise control (“TACC”) is available to be used.  A small steering wheel symbol to the right of the car’s current speed shows you that Autosteer is available for use. The screen will also illustrate that it sees lines by highlighting the path on the screen with solid lines on either side.

As always, the driver must use judgement as to the appropriate times and places to call up this feature, even if it shows on the screen as available. For example, there is a wide and well paved two-way street in my neighborhood that has a middle and high school on one side and houses on the other. It also has well defined lines for a popular running/walking course with bike lanes. It is not a divided highway, contains stop signs and traffic lights, and is always crowded with people. It is not a candidate for Autosteer, but the symbol is often available on that street so again, judgement is required.

Back to the highway. I noticed Autosteer was unavailable and immediately recognized the weather was to blame. It was raining. I would call it a moderate rain but with small, frequent rain drops. It was also approaching dusk. Between the lack of sunlight, the misty rain and the glare of car and street lights, visibility for my human eyes was quite poor. Visibility for the car’s “eyes” must have also been diminished and the car made the intelligent determination that it was not comfortable taking over the steering duties on this trip.

I was content to keep driving of course, but noticed that even as I was approaching traffic and slowed down from 55 to 19, Autosteer was still unavailable. It certainly was not a function of speed but rather the poor visibility. Even when the lane markings were a solid and bright white, the car could not see the lines. I know this because there were not solid lines on my dash outlining the illuminated path that goes up the middle of the display. I was quite far from the car in front of me at this point, though the small white car in the below picture shows that it was sensed by my car with at least one of its systems. (Remember, Autopilot hardware includes a front facing camera, radar and 360 degrees of ultrasonic sensors.)

Once I slowed even more and got to the part of my commute where traffic nearly stops, Autosteer became available. That despite the car presumably still not being able to see the lines – there were no solid lines along the path on my screen. Yet because I was now in dense traffic with cars all around me, Autopilot regained its confidence and was willing to take over.

We’ve all been impressed by the technology involved with Autopilot but remembering how many layers of redundancy the hardware really has reaffirms just how impressive. And while I would not have been able to use the Autosteer feature had I wanted to, I’m just as happy knowing that the system is smart enough to know its limitations and has only one goal: to keep me safe.

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After I stopped and looked down at the bag that was now upside-down on the floor, traffic started moving again and something dawned on me:

I have not heard that collision warning in a while. 

When this feature first went live, I heard it a lot. Most annoyingly, I heard it at the beginning of my one-way, relatively narrow street. Me street curves and cars park on both sides. City living at its finest. But even when traveling 15 miles per hour, the collision warning would sound, presumably, because it was sensing the parked cars.

This particular warning situation went away rather quickly; a matter of weeks at most. I haven’t really paid much attention to that little fact. By now, I’m very well aware of the Tesla’s capabilities for learning and am impressed with it all the time.

Today’s warning, however, made me realize that it isn’t just the correction of collision warning sounding on my street. I’m hearing it less overall which makes me know that like everything else, that part of the system is learning and improving. I also have a wild hypothesis to make about a really important but far less glamorous part of the system. The driver is also learning!

In discussing what happens when lane markings disappear, I claimed that “We learn from it while it learns from us.” Now I’m thinking that sentiment applies to a lot more than just driving with Autopilot features. I am now completely convinced that the Tesla has made me a better driver overall.

The car is so enjoyable that despite it being exceptionally quick, I’m in no rush. The car is so important to me, that I put myself in no questionable situations. The smart safety systems make me aware of the safe distances for things like following and changing lanes and without even knowing it, it has made me a better driver.

Well played, Tesla, well played. Make the safest car ever tested even safer by subliminally making Tesla drivers safer drivers. I’m on to you.

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