A near-miss accident was caught on video recently, and it shows just how far we have come! Eric Laperriere was driving his Tesla Model 3 on autopilot when his car drove over some ice. This happened on a highway outside Montreal. The vehicle slid out of control, however; the driver-assist system of the car was able to regain control before it was too late and had the car back in its original lane without an accident.
Hearing It From The Driver
Tesla vehicles are known for featuring great traction and stability. However, the owner of the Model 3 from the Quebec region claims that the autopilot did more than just that. If we are to take the driver’s word; the car relied on its traction control as well as AWD in the autopilot system to regain the control on its own and drove back into the center lane – the lane it was initially been driving in.
Eric further said that during the entire episode, he didn’t touch the steering wheel at all. He said, ‘I didn’t touch the wheel once. Everything was done through Autopilot and the AWD system. […] The steering wheel was moving so fast that I preferred to let the car handle it.’
The Truth About Model 3 Autopilot System’s Efficiency
Believing the driver’s words; it is quite an impressive feat for the vehicle’s autopilot system to regain control for the car and bring it back to its original lane. Many stability control systems are available in the market, but this kind of quick judgment and precision is on a different level altogether.
We must also commend the driver for not interfering with the Tesla Model 3 system and by trusting the autopilot system to take care of the process. Generally, it is natural for drivers to attempt to take control of the steering wheel and try to steer the car back. Had Eric done this, the autopilot could have backfired and caused an accident.
Frequent rains happened in Quebec last week. This eventually caused ice to be formed on the roads. It is not very surprising for vehicles to lose control on black ice. It is also a fact that not many drivers would have been able to regain control of the car and bring it back to the original lane in such driving conditions. That is why the quick thinking on Eric’s part and not attempting to take control from Tesla Model 3 helped him save his life and his car.
It is also amazing to see how well the autopilot of Tesla Model 3 handled the situation. However, as a word of caution; no matter how advanced and precise such systems become, one must always remain cautious and should react as quickly as the driver assist system itself during such an event.
