A crashed Tesla in 2018.KTVU via AP
Ah, the Super Bowl Like most American news organizations on us, we’re bound to give away some of today’s predictions and game times for easy web traffic. The game starts at 6:30 PM ET. i think Philadelphia Eagles linebackers will try unsuccessfully to target Kansas City Chiefs go-to tight end Travis Kelce. I think the Chiefs defensive line will try unsuccessfully to contain the Eagles’ prolific rushing quarterback Jalen Hurts. And I think Dan O’Dowd’s ad about Tesla’s self-driving car is trying to (successfully) create a mild storm.
O’Dowd is a security activist and technology entrepreneur from California. He led a campaign spending millions to get Tesla’s fully self-driving cars off the road. Following that, this year O’Dowd bought a Super Bowl commercial attacking Elon Musk’s car company technology that will air in Washington, D.C., and other state capitals, including Albany, Atlanta, Austin, Tallahassee and Sacramento. According to The Washington Post.
Check out The Dawn Project #SuperBowl Ads display serious security flaws @tesla Fully self-driving. 6 months ago we reported that FSD will spoil a child. Tesla did not fix that! To focus their attention, @NHTSAgov FSD must be shut down until Tesla fixes all security flaws. pic.twitter.com/AxJbN5oOSr
— Dan O’Dowd (@RealDanODowd) February 11, 2023
The ad for his advocacy group — which calls itself The Dawn Project — shows a Tesla with its “full self-driving” mode on hitting a child-sized mannequin. It shows a Tesla hitting a stroller. It shows a Tesla driving on the wrong side of the road. It shows a Tesla blowing through areas marked with “do not enter” signs and flashing past stationary school buses with their flashing “stop” signs out.
The purpose of the ad, and the Dawn Project, is to try to get Congress to regulate Tesla’s self-driving cars. The Dawn Project’s broader mission calls for technology to provide “secure computers for humanity” and “software that never fails and can’t be hacked” in various areas.
The group’s footage is one of many videos highlighting Tesla’s relatively consistent safety failures. In January, The Intercept reported on a video of a Tesla using the driving assistance feature to suddenly stop on the Bay Bridge, resulting in an eight-car crash that injured nine people.
as post Report:
Last year, Tesla issued a cease-and-desist letter after O’Dowd’s group, the Dawn Project, released footage of the car repeatedly hitting child-sized dolls. A test conducted by a prominent Musk supporter included a real child to show the car would recognize and stop them. O’Dowd has offered to run tests in person with Musk or any of his critics, to prove that the car makes mistakes without any tampering.
As of 2016, there is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Investigation 35 crashes Where Tesla’s Autopilot or fully self-driving mode was being used. According to the company’s own information, at least those features were involved 273 Tesla crash Between July 2021 and June 2022.
Meanwhile, my colleague Abigail Weinberg writes about one of the safest alternatives to auto-pilot that already exists for people who don’t want to drive: public transportation.