Tesla Vehicles Just Months From Full Self-Driving Can Still Run Redlights

This looks like another attempt of you seeing Tesla's success and interpreting it as being a failure. Their success is moving forward with much needed self driving technology advancements. I doubt that you really know what changes are included in the software for that revision of the hardware and software that will support fully autonomous driving. This accident appears totally unrelated to that technology. There is pretty much zero chance that this driver was using autopilot in the city where this accident occurred. The driver's speeding and running a red light are totally separate from Tesla's safety technology. The flaw in many people's understanding of computer driving assist technologies is that they are not now, or ever will be 100% accurate. But that is not really the point. The value is in making things safer overall. In this case Autopilot was not involved, and the driver was most likely at fault. My guess is that you wanted the autopilot to intercede without being turned on? I think that before you criticize the advanced autopilot system you need to actually see it working, as opposed to comparing it to the ideal of what you think that it should do before it becomes operational.

First off, the full self driving capability is not on all Teslas, just with the ones that have the extra hardware and software package that supports those capabilities. Again, odds are that this (rental?) car did not have the full autopilot+ package installed, and again it was not enabled. Your wish that it should be automatically enabled is interesting when you are offering so much public criticism even when their safety systems are not enabled. Good luck in forcing customers to have them on all of the time. I have collision alert systems on my Cadillac, and this morning I had a false alert that sensed a parked car as a "stopped" car in my path and flashed red lights on the HUD display. It startled me, but I've known that false alerts happen from time to time. Still, it would have been a totally different matter if it suddenly locked up the brakes! I am interested in reading the other articles that you have written talking about deaths and accidents caused by Honda or Nissan's safety systems. Oh wait...there are none. Not because the systems are flawless, but because it doesn't make flashy headlines the way that attacking Tesla does. If it weren't for negative autopilot articles singling out Tesla I'm sure that they would have advanced far more quickly, but with internet land mines like yours being set out everywhere, they are forced to roll out their technology carefully.

From other reports on this incident, it is far from clear if Autopilot was even engaged at the time. If it wasn't then your story is nothing more than click-bait claptrap.

Mind you, Torquenews is hardly renowned for its unbiased and informed commentary!

This accident was ALL about driver impatience, and NOT about a shortcoming in Tesla’s safety systems. Most all of the traffic issues and accidents that I see in my 80-100 mile daily commute relate to driver impatience, and distraction. Now the autopilot technology will definitely help with distracted drivers, but the kind of driver that regularly speeds and runs red lights is exactly the person who will NEVER buy a car that limits their speed and forces them to drive more safely. Safety technologies like seat belts and airbags are federally mandated, but they are passive systems that do not police driver safety. It is most likely that Tesla will phase in the self driving features, starting with freeway driving, and then expanding to include more complex driving environments. I wonder why you regularly question the value and effectiveness of Tesla’s auto driving safety systems, and then also complain that they are not already fully implemented before the new system has even been released. How does this make sense?

I don't think this author gets it. Continuously reinforces the idea that "if Tesla is single months from having vehicles with 'full self-driving' it must already have stoplight recognition and auto-braking ready to go." Tesla could be 2 days away from full self driving and that doesn't mean any software should be released into the wild and assumed to be fully functioning. The point is if Tesla is not ready to release tech then there's no reason you should be criticizing it as if it were already released and production ready. Full stop.

"...why has Tesla not opted to enable its vehicles' stoplight recognition and braking system? Why has it not enabled the speed limit controls that it will surely have to use when the vehicles self-drive?"

The stop light breaking system, and the other features you mentioned are what will be enabled this year as part of the FSD package. Its important to realize that FSD is not level 3 autonomous driving, and that the driver is still required to keep their hands on the wheel and be actively paying attention. This is the time when Tesla will be able to work out any issues with the system and bring the FSD system into a level 3 configuration, but that wont be for another year at least. It seems as though the author is confused about what FSD actually offers as part of the initial release.