Gerry Palmers Auto 08.03.2021 02:Aug AM EDT

Tesla Autopilot Helps Driver Avoid Dangerous Crash; Elon Musk Reacts

A Tesla driver recounted on Twitter how his vehicle's autopilot helped him avoid an accident while cruising on a major highway.

In his tweet, Tesla owner Owen Sparks was shocked that another vehicle with an attached trailer had been streaking close to his side, as he observed the other driver was not "looking in their mirror." that their cars nearly collided. Fortunately, thanks to Sparks' Tesla Autopilot, his vehicle swerved away automatically.

Our Tesla avoided an accident with a car + trailer this thursday while on autopilot. Seems like the other person wasn’t looking in their mirror. I thought we got hit because of how fast the car maneuvered away. Autopilot saves lives @elonmusk 🙌 @WhamBaamYT @SavedTesla @Tesla pic.twitter.com/BVDgmQZaOp
— Owen Sparks (@OwenSparks_) August 1, 2021

Tweet Says Tesla Autopilot 'Saves Lives'

"Autopilot saves lives," Sparks concluded his tweet, which drew much appreciation from his followers and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom he tagged in his tweet. Musk had since retweeted Sparks' tweet, which showed proof of the Tesla Autopilot's dependability.

In a separate tweet, Musk emphasized the importance of having Autopilot V1 in Tesla cars.

Reason we hustled so much to get Autopilot V1 out was that someone driving non-Autopilot Tesla fell asleep, crashed & killed cyclist (Tesla driver was uninjured).

Driver nonetheless sued us saying new car smell made him fall asleep (sigh). Judge didn’t agree.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2021

More such cases have been told on Twitter, as reported by Clean Technica. A fan recounted a case in Norway wherein a driver became unconscious and the Autopilot took over, putting the vehicle to a complete stop. A video was posted with the tweet.

Tesla owner in Norway suffers unconsciousness while driving, Tesla autopilot detects it, slows, comes to a stop so EMS can help @elonmusk @Tesla ❤️‍🩹🚑

https://t.co/kl1CEeiHDi
— Gail Alfar (@GailAlfarATX) July 31, 2021

This incident happened in Ski town in Norway, wherein the driver had fallen unconscious with his head slumped forward and to the side. Other drivers followed the car and witnessed it stop on its own after decelerating. The vehicle halted in a tunnel and automatically turned on its hazard lights. Concerned drivers parked near the vehicle and knocked on the window. After the driver did not respond, they alerted emergency services for help.

After the accident, Ski Eastern Police reported that the 24-year-old driver was intoxicated and passed out while driving. Even with video evidence, the man denied driving under the influence.

Tesla Autopilot Offers Solution to DUI Problem

The evidence showed that Tesla's autopilot offers a solution for the long drawn-out problem of DUI. Indeed, drunk driving has long been a national problem even before the Autopilot came into existence, debunking claims that it actually promotes DUI.

CleanTechnica cited the 2019 National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) figures indicating that 28 people daily or one person in nearly every hour die from drunk driving incidents in the US. In total, the NHTSA reported 10,142 people lost their lives in the U.S. due to drunk driving crashes.

Tesla likewise detailed its vehicle safety report per quarter, emphasizing that during the last quarter of 2019, only one accident was registered for every 3.07 million miles Tesla drivers had the Autopilot engaged. For the other three quarters of 2019, Tesla also gave a breakdown: in Q1 2019. there's one accident per 2.87 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged; in Q2 2019, there's one accident for every 3.27 million miles driven with Autopilot; Q3 2019, one accident per 4.34 million miles driven with Autopilot.

With NHTSA figures showing 36,096 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2019 in shorter average distances than those mentioned in the Tesla report, indeed, a Tesla Autopilot is a life-saving feature, CleanTechnica concluded.