US to probe Texas fatal crash that may have involved Ford partially automated driving system

[spicy_taco]

" collided with the rear of a Honda CR-V " <- from the news article
" The other car (Older SUV) " <- from the front-end thread

The coincidence is just too much.

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[CompilerBreak]

There's been at least 2 fatal accidents like this in my area, night time, stalled car middle of the road with no lights on. It's really sad, but if you're not in a we'll lit area it's near impossible for a human to avoid at highway speeds.

 

[New2EV]

" collided with the rear of a Honda CR-V " <- from the news article
" The other car (Older SUV) " <- from the front-end thread

The coincidence is just too much.

And the bio of the OP from the front end damage thread says Houston TX

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

The typical distance a driver can see objects without self-illumination ahead at night is about 350 feet, which also happens to be about the average stopping distance (including reaction time) for an alert driver traveling at 70 mph. In other words, a stopped vehicle in the middle of a 70-80 mph road is very likely to be hit.

But the fact that it was hit as hard as that other post's images show suggest that the driver was either traveling not a little faster than 70 mph or the driver was not alert (letting BC drive for them means reaction time is significantly slower).

 

[GreaseMonkey]

The typical distance a driver can see objects without self-illumination ahead at night is about 350 feet, which also happens to be about the average stopping distance (including reaction time) for an alert driver traveling at 70 mph. In other words, a stopped vehicle in the middle of a 70-80 mph road is very likely to be hit.

But the fact that it was hit as hard as that other post's images show suggest that the driver was either traveling not a little faster than 70 mph or the driver was not alert (letting BC drive for them means reaction time is significantly slower).

An alert driver would have changed lanes too.

 

[areacode413]

Imagine losing your alternator on the highway and not pulling over??? I have had this happen to me twice with an automatic and no issues getting to the breakdown lane.

 

[Mirak]

So, in all seriousness, BC actually requires more driver attentiveness than any old ICE with standard cruise control… It does an excellent job of detecting if your eyes aren’t on the road.

Granted, the system cannot detect stationary objects when moving at highway speed - at least not to stop in time. But how is that BC’s fault? Again, any car with regular cruise control wouldn’t stop, either.

So I’m having trouble understanding how BC could be blamed for this. Unless the argument is that BC encourages people to be less attentive. But again, it does a great job of monitoring for attentiveness.

 

[Gloff]

That would be crazy if you hit and kill some one. Then casually goes on a forum and ask, is my car repairable.

You have no idea of the circumstances of the collision, and the driver may not have known that the driver of the other vehicle died. It's very possible that he was taken away in an ambulance and announced later. Your post in the other thread is in poor taste and should be removed.

 

[DanGJR213]

My parent live off of the exit where the accident happened. It's super dark on that stretch of the road as they are widening the highway; no shoulders just stone guardrails.

the local news reported the driver of the Mach E was from Houston and the person in the Honda CRV was from Austin.

 

[Hammered]

That would be crazy if you hit and kill some one. Then casually goes on a forum and ask, is my car repairable.

Perhaps they really need their vehicle and have no fault in the course of events.

 

[Mach1E]

Wow.

I hope people keep in mind that someone died in this story. Try to be respectful.

It is good that there is an investigation, but I will be shocked if BC is found to be at fault.

Stopped car on the interstate with no lights at nighttime, not much a driver or a lvl 2 autonomous could do.

Every once in a while we see a “car going the wrong way on the highway” story. Same goes with that situation. Not much people can do.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

That would be crazy if you hit and kill some one. Then casually goes on a forum and ask, is my car repairable.

That is my thought exactly, but honestly I strongly suspect that's indeed what happened. I noticed that he never responded to people who said, "I hope you're both alright."

Cars have reflectors in addition to lights. An alert driver should (hopefully) see the reflectors and take evasive action(s) such as braking and changing lanes. IIRC the OP in the other thread said he hit the stopped car at 70MPH, meaning that he either didn't slow at all (i.e., didn't see it), or had been traveling faster.

This is a tragedy regardless of the details and who is at fault. (I lost my mom in a car crash, so I get it.) But if this is the same guy as the is-this-totaled post, that's crazy.

 

[ArthurDOB]

That would be crazy if you hit and kill some one. Then casually goes on a forum and ask, is my car repairable.

That was my thought. Repairing it would be the least of my concerns.

 

[Mach-Lee]

So I’m having trouble understanding how BC could be blamed for this. Unless the argument is that BC encourages people to be less attentive. But again, it does a great job of monitoring for attentiveness.

NTSB just wants to collect all the facts and see if there were any factors associated with the automation that contributed to or mitigated the crash. One question they may look at is if the car performed any emergency braking before impact. It may not have braked at all, which could be normal at that speed. They are just very interested in fatal crash data involving automated driving even if everything worked as designed.

 

[Hammered]

Cars have reflectors in addition to lights. An alert driver should (hopefully) see the reflectors and take evasive action(s) such as braking and changing lanes.

Maybe if they could run high beams. Fact is low beams are pretty shitty unless they're blinding other drivers -- they run into the ground 100 or so feet out. Even the slightest undulations in the road and visibility drops considerably. I'm sure just about everyone has hit something in the road at some point due to variables beyond your control.

Wow.

I hope people keep in mind that someone died in this story. Try to be respectful.

The CRV driver wasn't here, and nobody has claimed to know them. I don't really see anything special about this individual that distinguishes them from the other 103,000 people that died that day, or the 2.27 million people that have died since.

The most important thing to take away from this is
DON'T STOP YOUR Fn CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE. I feel bad for the MME driver who's been put in this position.

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