[poloman]

Originally Posted by Samurai

We are assuming that there is no driver error. She was coming from a late-night party within her ranch without worrying about having to drive on roads. It could be DUI, we don't know her blood alcohol level, if it was even measured. Considering the heavy political connection, it may have been fully suppressed.

It could be.. But then she was in her senses to call her friend and inform that she had put wrong gear. Don't you think the car manufacturer should idiot proof critical controls? Tomorrow Tesla may remove brake pedal and integrate it to touch screen or accelerator. Why do all these innovations in the first place which can make difference between life and death?
We can imagine how difficult it will be to make a three point turn with a touch screen gear selector.

As far as I know you do not need to select Drive or Reverse - the car would do that on its own based on what it thinks. Of course you can override it but by default I think that is how the newer models work.

How the car will choose the correct gear automatically is beyond me.

[shortbread]

Excuse me asking this but considering Tesla shift close to 2 million cars annually and as unfortunate as this incident might sound, how is a woman reversing her car inside a private property into a pond really that relevant?! Is it because it's a really rich woman?

Considering the multiple threads related to poor traffic conditions in India, rash driving or the country's largest car builder still unconvinced by the need to make safe cars etc... languishing in the Road Safety subsection, this incident sounds trivial in comparison. I know I'm sounding harsh and RIP the poor soul.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Samurai

We are assuming that there is no driver error. .

Originally Posted by poloman

Why do all these innovations in the first place which can make difference between life and death?

My take:

In areas where accidents can be fatal, "User Input" changes should be slow and gradual. I remember our first car with "Push to Start." More than a couple of times, I left the car with the engine running, forgetting to turn it off. Luckily, when I couldn't lock the car, I understood why. I still have my old Blackberry and look at it occasionally, wishing tactile keyboards would make a comeback.

Old habits die hard. We often drive by instinct and do not think about the process. If you have spent 30-40-50 years driving a "traditional" AT gear shift, moving to one with a touch screen on the roof might be disconcerting.

Fatigue only exacerbates this discomfort. If you are a morning person (like most ambitious CEOs tend to be), by 11 pm, it's bedtime.

[dragon_booster]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The lady was aged 50, and as anyone above age 45 with need for corrective glasses for viewing and reading nearby objects and words respectively, will appreciate that full reliance on the touchscreen without a corrected near vision could spell danger. Unless a corrective glass/reading glass/bifocal lenses are used, if one is unable to read nearby placed text lucidly, one needs to tread with caution wherein crucial controls are involved.

Thank you for bringing up this point. It's a sensible concern that I've personally felt but haven't seen discussed much. Switching everything to digital can be hard for older people because it needs good eyesight. Having physical knobs, like the old-style ones, is important. Even though too much of touchscreen might seem cool for young people now, they might have problems later on as they get older and their eyesight gets worse and their brain take time to process.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The lady was aged 50, and as anyone above age 45 with need for corrective glasses for viewing and reading nearby objects and words respectively, will appreciate that full reliance on the touchscreen without a corrected near vision could spell danger. Unless a corrective glass/reading glass/bifocal lenses are used, if one is unable to read nearby placed text lucidly, one needs to tread with caution wherein crucial controls are involved.

Originally Posted by dragon_booster

Thank you for bringing up this point. It's a sensible concern that I've personally felt but haven't seen discussed much.

That is a very valid concern that I am also surprised is not discussed a lot. I have now reached that age group where I know a lot of people who now need reading glasses. Putting critical functions like gear selection on a touch screen can actually make driving very inconvenient and may lead to accidents.

[IshaanIan]

If she had time to make phone calls, why couldn’t she open the door/window or break the glass? Is it particularly difficult to break open the glass? Quite sad that presence of mind prevented her from stomping on the brakes as well as fighting for an escape.

[Cyborg]

Really, really sad.

Poor lady! I feel it was a combination of being a little tipsy (she was leaving her own party), being tired, surprise at what happened and blind panic.

Completely understandable reactions considering the situation which led to disaster. Maybe her time in this world was at an end but what a sad way to go.

RIP Angela Chao.

[Mystic]

My 2 cents:

1. The car must have been parked very close to the pond for whatever reasons like many cars to be accommodated etc. in a party.

2. R, D, N can be engaged by mistake and it happens always to millions of drivers everyday. One realises the mistake immediately and typically corrects as there is always a BRAKE pedal. Many typically bang a car behind in tight parking spaces and it happens all the time for such mistakes.

3. In this case, the mistake could not be corrected because it is too close to the pond and may be she must have put her foot on the brake after it is already in the pond.

4. Always maintain a safe distance between the cars for such situations and in tight spaces, one has to be careful as a slight mistake by a couple of inches can lead to accident.

[McLaren Rulez]

It probably doesn't help that electric cars have this instant and quick acceleration off the line. Is this true in reverse gear too? I'd hope they numb the throttle response significantly in reverse.

[Freespirit27]

As per the video posted and comments, "There’s 3 ways, this is one (that is, the touch interface), one on the steering, and smart shift". So logically over a period of time you get used to one or the other type and start using it.
As a example, something (which maybe the current generation may not relate to) like shifting from manual to auto and then consciously telling yourself not using the left leg on pedals till, in a moment of panic you revert to old muscle memory!
For older people like us the concept of entertainment/calls buttons on physical driving control like steering had normalised, but what should be a driving control function shouldn't go on touch screens ever. Touch was for infotainment or worst case climate control where a wrong selection is not life threatening, but to use it as gear or drive mode or brake selection will continue to be a safety hazard for people who have learnt driving on physical button, knob or lever controls.
This is really sad and may have happened as a slow creep in reverse which the person realized, but did not know how to correct in panic and so tried all desperate measures like phone calls.
Maybe a emergency stop like on the treadmills or machinery, as a physical button like the hazard lights, might be a good idea in these so called clean cockpit style design which prioritises Form over Function!

[mark_iv]

Really sad. It's difficult to imagine the panic she must have been in.

The car itself seem to have multiple ways of putting it in reverse, honestly I wouldn't call any of them intuitive, especially in an emergency.

https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/m...71E09287D.html

[PZK]

First things first, a human lost their life and the amount of pain this would cause the near and dear ones is unimaginable. I hope her friends and family find strength to deal with this tragic incident.

Now irrespective or driver or car mistake:

Imagine you are Elon, how would you think about this issue? Would you change your production due to a single incident or you would need a sizeable number before you push for any changes? Assuming they have shipped millions of vehicles which have not resulted in such fatal mistakes, he would focus on bigger issues at hand. I don't expect any changes due to this incident.

Tesla positions itself as an innovative company and they will try to make some changes which will push the boundaries. Gear selection on touch screen is one of them. FSD based on neural network is another. Not using Lidar, and so on. Some changes will be appreciated, other, not that much. I appreciate someone is pushing boundaries otherwise the industry will stagnate.

I read somewhere that there is an emergency unlock in all Tesla's, but I really doubt my own brain to go for it under such panic situations.
Q: Do the mobile signals work under water?

Note to myself: Read how to unlock doors in my Hyundai Tucson without power.

[anjan_c2007]

The latest report by law enforcement has revealed that the alcohol in Ms Angela Chao's blood was reportedly three times the state's permissible limits. The report also says that the lady had tried to break open the Tesla Model X's windows while it sank in her ranch in Blanco County outside Austin, Texas, but in vain. Her blood alcohol level was 0.233 grams per 100 ml, whereas the State's legal limit is 0.08 grams per 100 ml.

Sadly, the life was lost that was most avoidable.

The newslink:-

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ource=inshorts

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The latest report by law enforcement has revealed that the alcohol in Ms Angela Chao's blood was reportedly three times the state's permissible limits.

Alcohol induced cognitive impairment combined with non-intuitive automotive design. Recipe for disaster if ever there was one.

[RunGaDa]

It happened in Blanco County, San Antonio, Texas in February. According to a news from 21 March, 2024, "Foreign agents are suspected of murdering Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law in a brazen bid to discredit electric car manufacturer Tesla and prop up sales of its Chinese competitor, intelligence insiders reveal.

CIA sources say evidence emerging from the investigation into the death of Angela Chao suggests her Tesla Model X SUV was sabotaged before she backed it into a pond and drowned — when the doors and windows failed to open".

And GTO already clarified, it was mechanical gear shifter model and not touch screen shifter.