Elon Musk fans want to throw children in front of a Tesla after its autopilot ran over kid-sized dummies

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AI Elon Musk fans want to throw children in front of a Tesla after its autopilot ran over kid-sized dummies By Malavika Pradeep Email Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Flipboard Copy Link

If you’re someone who keeps up with Elon Musk’s unchecked Twitter obsession, you might’ve noticed how Tesla fanboys have evolved into a full-blown subculture over time—initiating toxic slews of attacks against others who don’t fancy themselves on the “bleeding edge of innovation” or make the same “planet-friendly” choice as they did. Heck, they’d even go to ridiculous lengths just to prove their point.

Such is the case with Twitter user Taylor Ogan, who first uploaded a video of a Tesla Model Y and a Lexus RX performing a side-by-side test to see if their autopilot systems would detect a defenceless, child-sized mannequin on the road and slam its brake early enough to avoid running it over.

Surprise, surprise, the Tesla totally flunked the test by bulldozing into the fake child and yeeting its body like a bowling pin before coming to a complete stop. “It’s 2022, and Teslas still aren’t stopping for children,” Ogan captioned the resultant post, highlighting how the Lexus RX that stopped for the dummy is equipped with LiDAR—a technology Tesla Motors CEO Musk still refuses to use for self-driving.

“LiDAR is the same technology used in autonomous vehicles, which Tesla incidentally does not have,” Ogan went on to mention.

It’s 2022, and Teslas still aren’t stopping for children. pic.twitter.com/GGBh6sAYZS — Taylor Ogan (@TaylorOgan) August 9, 2022

The Guardian also reported on a recent safety test conducted by the Dawn Project, where the latest version of Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software repeatedly ran over a stationary, child-sized mannequin in its path. The claims issued by the advocacy group form part of an ad campaign urging the public to pressure Congress to ban Tesla’s autopilot technology.

“Elon Musk says Tesla’s FSD software is ‘amazing’. It’s not. It’s a lethal threat to all Americans,” founder of the Dawn Project, Dan O’Dowd, told the publication. “Over 100,000 Tesla drivers are already using the car’s FSD mode on public roads, putting children at great risk in communities across the country.”

While footage from both tests has left the public disturbed, it’s worth noting how Tesla has earned a reputation for hitting back at claims that its autopilot is too “underdeveloped” to guarantee the safety of either the car’s occupants or other pedestrians on the road. “After a fiery crash in Texas in 2021 that killed two, Musk tweeted that the autopilot feature, a less sophisticated version of FSD, was not switched on at the moment of collision,” The Guardian went on to note.

Our new safety test of @ElonMusk’s Full Self-Driving Teslas discovered that they will indiscriminately mow down children.

Today @RealDawnProject launches a nationwide TV ad campaign demanding @NHTSAgov ban Full Self-Driving until @ElonMusk proves it won’t mow down children. pic.twitter.com/i5Jtb38GjH — Dan O'Dowd (@RealDanODowd) August 9, 2022

Now, it seems that Tesla fanboys, or ‘Tessies’ as some netizens call them, are hell-bent on defending their favourite auto maker’s honour. Taking to Twitter, most of them argue that, as the “children” involved were not made of flesh and blood but rather of cardboard and stuffing, the test did not prove if a Tesla would stop in front of an actual human child.

“Such a pointless test. Watch FSD beta. It registers every person in the vicinity and if anything, is overly cautious,” a user commented. “It has never hit anybody despite 40 million miles driven. 40 million. This is a fake, useless, non ‘real world’ test.”

“This is staged. You’ve never said one positive thing about Tesla, ever and invest in LiDAR,” a second wrote, while a third wildly admitted: “If I’m pressing the accelerator, the car should do what I tell it to do no matter what. It shouldn’t matter if there’s 100 children in front of the car, it shouldn’t override the driver’s manual input under any circumstances. So, BS test.”

The Dawn Project’s Twitter post also sported similar criticism, with one netizen stating, “Do you really think that the Americans are so stupid to believe in this staged video? I bet the driver was pressing on the accelerator pedal and the operator deliberately didn’t film the bottom of the Tesla screen so the viewers wouldn’t see a warning about it.”

Does this look like cardboard? pic.twitter.com/IrzIh3pYXz — Taylor Ogan (@TaylorOgan) August 9, 2022

As soon as someone commented “but that’s a fake child. I bet it would work if it was a real child,” Tesla fanboys got to work, with one Twitter user risking it all to prove that the world’s leading electric car would stop for an actual child.

“Is there anyone in the Bay Area with a child who can run in front of my car on Full Self-Driving Beta to make a point? I promise I won’t run them over… (will disengage if needed),” @WholeMarsBlog tweeted, adding that it was a “serious request.”

“This is completely safe as there will be a human in the car,” the user continued, later updating their followers with: “Okay someone volunteered… They just have to convince their wife.” I wish this was a joke. But the enthusiast then detailed a list of instructions that will be followed during the test, including the fact that the child’s father would be seated behind the wheel. What could possibly go wrong?

Back in March 2022, YouTuber Mat Watson was also curious to know if a self-driving Tesla would run over a cat, a kangaroo and a cardboard cutout of Elon Musk. While the car successfully detected the last two subjects, it ran over the taxidermy cat placed in the middle of the road.

Blasket_Basket on August 11st, 2022 at 14:10 UTC »

Someone go get X€-AE12

Orkfreebootah on August 11st, 2022 at 12:40 UTC »

Tbh why not musk rather than random innocent children?

Toss a slave labor using, union busting tech bro in front of them instead.

ZeppoBro on August 11st, 2022 at 11:03 UTC »

"...It's the only way to be sure."