This is the shocking moment when a Tesla in ‘Full Self-Driving’ (FSD) mode collided with a deer that was in the middle of the road.
The driver, Paul S, did not confirm when or where the accident occurred, or what model of Tesla he was driving. But dash cam footage shows the vehicle driving down a clear two-lane road at night moments before the animal suddenly came into view.
The Tesla crashed directly into the deer, failing to stop or slow down “even after hitting the deer at full speed,” Paul said.
‘Big surprise after getting a dozen false stops every day!’ he added.
Paul has not said what happened to the animal, but photos showed that the impact left dents and scratches on the hood of the car.
Elon Musk’s FSD system uses cameras mounted on the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle to detect obstacles and avoid collisions.
The system is also supposed to alert drivers of approaching obstacles, which didn’t happen the night Paul hit the deer.
But it has become embroiled in controversy due to a recently opened investigation into four reported collisions associated with FSD, including a fatal accident that occurred in 2023.
Last November, a 71-year-old pedestrian was struck by a 2021 Tesla Model Y in FSD mode in Rimrock Arizona. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tesla’s FSD software is based on cameras, which are different from obstacle detection in other vehicles that typically have sensors with radar and sonar to detect objects in the car’s path.
It appears the FSD cameras missed the light-colored deer, which blended into the lighter-colored pavement.
The cameras should have detected the threat, alerted Paul of the approaching obstacle through its Forward Collision Warning feature, and maneuvered to avoid a crash.
The driver, X user Paul S (@TheSeekerOf42), said he is “incredibly grateful” to Tesla and the company’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, “for how well the vehicle structure handled the impact.”
‘I mean, that poor creature could have easily crashed through the windshield, sending me to my ancestors. But it remained. Cracked, scratched, but held up!’ public.
However, he has some real concerns about the damage.
In addition to a cracked bumper, “the hood moved almost an inch toward the windshield, which is cracked and scratched from deer rolling over it and to the sides, leaving patches in the mirror,” Paul said.
“I’m worried that the frame under the plastic is bent,” he added.
Despite this, he defended the FDS software. ‘FSD works amazing! This is just an extreme case. “We probably just need to show FSD what a deer’s butt looks like,” he said.
However, the obstacle detection sensors are capable of detecting 3D objects and could have detected the animal standing on the road if the vehicle was equipped with them, according to the automotive news site. Jalopnik.
For example, some other cars with automation features use LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging.
These sensors use laser pulses to locate objects and measure the distance between them and the vehicle, analyzing the car’s surroundings in 3D.
Musk opted to use cameras instead of sensors in his self-driving Teslas for a couple of reasons, primarily to reduce the cost and number of parts needed for each vehicle, Andrej Karpathy, Tesla’s former head of AI for its automated driving systems, said in a statement. . an interview from 2022.
Photos posted on
Not only did the car fail to detect the approaching threat, it also didn’t seem to notice the crash at all.
After hitting the unsuspecting deer, the Tesla continued to move forward at the same speed as if nothing had happened.
Hitting a deer generates enough force on a vehicle that crash sensors should have recognized the collision and told the car to stop, slow down, or return control to the driver.
Collisions involving self-driving Teslas have caused serious injuries and even deaths.
While operating in Autopilot mode, which differs from FSD in that it requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and be ready to take control, a Tesla Model Y struck 17-year-old Tillman Mitchell moments after leaving. from school. bus, according washington mail.
The car didn’t even slow down and hit Mitchell at 45 mph in March 2023. He survived, but suffered a broken neck, a broken leg and had to be put on a ventilator.
As of October 2024, there have been hundreds of non-fatal accidents involving Teslas operating on Autopilot and 51 deaths reported.
And on October 18, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD software after four reported crashes, including a fatal accident that occurred in 2023.
NHTSA could recall vehicles if it determines they pose a serious risk to public safety.
Despite this, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly stated that Tesla’s self-driving features are safer than human drivers.
Paul S said he experienced the “worst side of Tesla service” while trying to get an estimate of his vehicle’s damage for insurance and schedule an appointment for repairs.
Tesla did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.