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news
broken bike.jpgDurham cyclist may be world's first to die in collision with a Tesla – unclear if it was in Autopilot mode
An 80-year-old cyclist from County Durham has been killed in a collision involving a Tesla car in what may be the first fatality of a bike rider involving a semi-autonomous vehicle.
It's the first time we are aware of a cyclist being killed in a road traffic collision involving a car capable of semi-autonomous operation, certainly in the UK, and we suspect it may be the first such incident anywhere in the world.
It is not clear whether the car was in Autopilot, or semi-autonomous, mode at the time of the fatal crash, but concerns have been raised in the past over the safety of such vehicles, including around cyclists, with a robotics expert warning earlier this year that "bikers will die" as a result of the technology.
Last month we highlighted concerns raised in a review of another car with semi-autonomous operation - the new BMW G32 640iGT - around cyclists on the road.
> Semi-autonomous BMW 'will fight' driver to deliver close passes of cyclists
The collision happened at around 9.20am on the morning of Friday 10 November on the A177 at High Shincliffe, according to Durham Constabulary.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the victim was hit from behind, road.cc understands.
The family of the victim, Fred Heppell from Lanchester, described him as a “devoted husband, wonderful father, grandfather, brother and friend.”
Following the collision, the retired bank manager was taken by air ambulance to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where he died on Friday afternoon.
“He had a long and happy retirement, combining his love of cycling with his sense of adventure and travel,” his family said.
“Fred averaged 10,000 miles per year on his bike and with his wife by his side had cycled across America, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and a host of European countries in his retirement years.
“He was a regular on the North East roads, popping out for an average 60 mile bike ride at least three times each week.”
They added: “He has left a huge void in the lives of so many but we all cherish the time we had with him and the many happy memories he has left with us.”
Police say that the vehicle involved was a blue Tesla S 90D, and are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 101 quoting incident number 90 of 10 November 2017.
The electric vehicle was sold until earlier this year when it was replaced by the Tesla Model S 100D.
According to the listing for a similar, used model being sold on Tesla’s UK website for £78,000, it comes equipped with the company’s Autopilot Hardware 1 with Convenience Features.
Standard features of the Autopilot package include automatic braking and collision avoidance warning, which come as standard, and it can also be upgraded to enable the vehicle to change lane automatically, maintain a constant speed, and self-park.
The availability of such features depends on regulatory approval being given for them in specific markets, but in the UK, as elsewhere, legislation is struggling to keep pace with technological developments.
Last year, the Department for Transport held a consultation with a view to establishing the future legal framework relating to autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems
There have been several cases of collisions or near-crashes involving Tesla vehicles when Autopilot has been engaged, including one in which a motorist in Florida was killed when he crashed into the trailer of a lorry at 70 miles an hour.
An official inquiry found that he had ignored seven audible warnings, and six visual ones on the car’s dashboard, to keep his hands on the steering wheel.
In May this year, a robotics expert from Stanford University in Tesla’s home state of California warned that Autopilot should not be used in the vicinity of cyclists, warning that it would put lives at risk.
> Never use Tesla Autopilot feature around cyclists, warns robotics expert
Post-doctoral researcher Heather Knight wrote that she “found the Autopilot’s agnostic behaviour around bicyclists to be frightening.”
In a review posted to Medium, she said: “I’d estimate that Autopilot classified ~30 per cent of other cars, and 1 per cent of bicyclists.
“Not being able to classify objects doesn’t mean the Tesla doesn’t see that something is there, but given the lives at stake, we recommend that people NEVER USE TESLA AUTOPILOT AROUND BICYCLISTS!”
She concluded her review by saying: “Do not treat this system as a prime time autonomous car. If you forget that … bikers will die.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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31 comments
Aren't they testing HGV Convoys on the North of the M6 soon ?
I'm sure technology will make things safer for us when it's all implemented.
Anything has to be better than just letting anyone into a 1t+ metal box that can do over 100mph.
Crazy that they aren't restricted more really.
Meanwhile in other news, Tesla unveils its new electric articulated truck ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42021713
Whilst I'm optimistic of a fully automated vehicle future, the idea of a 4o tonne artic coming up behind me silently on AutoPilot whilst the driver eats his Pot Noodle (other junk foods are available) scares the f*ck out of me.
I understand the Tesla has a mode where you can ‘see’ what the car can ‘see’ on the screen, and basically it misses quite a lot of detail as it cant distinguish the road very far ahead so cant differentiate between what’s at the side of the road and what’s on the road unless its arrow straight.
And they all close pass bikes even if they see them, as it doesnt know its a bike, just an obstacle.
Its another reason to ride primary, whether its an ‘autonomous’ car, or just one with emergency braking and/ or adaptive cruise control give the machine a chance to see you while the dozy driver checks their phone....
I totally agree that a vehicle with any autonomous driving mode being involved in an fatal accident with another vehicle or pedestrian is news. However until it is a fully atonomous vehicle involved, known to be running in autonomous mode, the headline must read: "Drive of Tesla Kills cyclists. Drivers must be held responsible for there actions and not continually be given excuses. This is especially true for cycling media.
"Oh and the car manufacturers make it very clear that you as the driver of that car are responsible for any accidents while driving the vehicle regardless of the mode it is in. "
They would say that wouldn't they. Doesn't make it automatically correct though.
It will be interesting to see the telemetry. I wonder if it operates in non-autonomous mode. The driver might say the cyclist weaved all over the road, the telemetry might prove otherwise. could be the first driver convicted by his own car.
Not sure the telemetry would prove alot in that respect as it would only record the car's data, not what the cyclist was doing (unless it also stores radar, camera and sensor data)
Autopilot is a driver aid, more intended for use on motorways etc. It cannot yet deal with perpendicular traffic, as such I can't see how any owner could think they could safely use it on a road with junctions.
You can override the semi-autonomous modes in cars that have them by touching the brake.
RIP. What a sad way to go out.
Are these things actually legal to use in an automated fashion on UK roads? I know we've run tests but I wasn't aware that automated cars are actually running without test restrictions?
Tesla will be bust soon anyway.
“Not being able to classify objects doesn’t mean the Tesla doesn’t see that something is there, but given the lives at stake, we recommend that people NEVER USE TESLA AUTOPILOT AROUND BICYCLISTS!”
So basically Tesla Autopilot can only be used on motorways.
RIP Fred
Or more simply, it doesn't work, turn the fucking thing off.
At the end of last year Tesla had around 300 million miles logged with the auto-pilot active (of around 3 billion miles logged total) - so would seem to work to some degree. Personally I can't see why you'd every want to turn it on outside of a motorway in the UK. Given the warning about cyclists it would seem neither do others.
Since some motorists will undoubtedly rely on this feature, the fact it doesn't work properly seems worrying. I'd still prefer they just said "turn it off " and developed the thing to work property before releasing it. But hey, profit before lives.
OK, ignoring what I said about the emprical evidence (as you did), drivers can just put their foot on the gas, panic brake or swerve into things - you can do similar with your bike. At what point does the 'thing' controlling the vehicle or carriage get classified as not working properly and prevented from using it ? Serious question. I know i'd vastly prefer a motorway full of Teslas than one filled with human drivers for a start.
It may, probably does, work fine on motorways or the US equivalent, but their own documentation makes clear it fails elsewhere. Worse than distracted drivers, don't know, but it worries me that drivers relying on it will pay even less attention than usual.
It's the combination of general incompetence, arrogance, speed and distraction that i'm comparing gainst I guess - but get what you mean about reliance on something being used somewhere it shouldn't. I do have concerns too, although i've been following a lot of what Tesla in particular, and Musk in general, do from a technical point of view and think their safety protocols and data are pretty good. At the end of the day though, a guy died and that at a minimum deserves investigating as deeply and thoroughly as possible, regardless of what I think.
On the whole it works well on US freeways. There was a widely-reported fatality at the start of last year where a guy used autopilot outside of design parameters and was crushed under a semi-trailer (they tend not to have sideguards in the US). He's probably the first fatality in an SA vehicle
Not a fatality in the following case but has received widespread coverage in Norway:
https://newatlas.com/tesla-autopilot-fema/46045/
Tesla keeps the telemetry from their cars. Hasn't anyone gone to them and ASKED THEM if it was in autopilot mode? Or is this a case of trying to file the story quickly before this simple piece of information is available?
I know, let's not report Grenfell until we know the reasons why it happened......
A little more seriously, determining cause(s) is the role of the inquest. I'm sure that information will come out then.
The first, and most important, piece of news is that a man on a bike was killed on the roads by a man (or woman) in a car.
As Huw says, I'm sure the telemetry will have been requested from Tesla by the police and will form part of the evidence given at inquest, and potentially any subsequent trial. No point Road.cc or any other journo asking Tesla (or the police) for this as they won't want to prejudice legal proceedings.
Huw - Are you sure it was a man behind the wheel? I don't recall the gender of the driver being mentioned anywhere.
[/quote]
Huw - Are you sure it was a man behind the wheel? I don't recall the gender of the driver being mentioned anywhere.
[/quote]
No, it hasn't. You're correct. My lazyness
That would, surely, be the responsibility ofthe police, and possibly the coroner, nor road.cc
That's so sad. The poor guy.
I believe Tesla have some kind of recording so it should be easy to work out what happened.
"Fred averaged 10,000 miles per year on his bike and with his wife by his side had cycled across America, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and a host of European countries in his retirement years."
RIP Fred - what a sad way to end an incredible lifetime of cycling.
Sounds like a legend who loved life.. RIP Fred
Even if it wasn’t in an autonomous mode, the Tesla is meant to have automatic braking that can detects cyclists, so there is an odd element to the accident if it was a rear ender.
The newer Volvo’s have this too but they don’t guarantee that they will completely stop, the reason for this is apparently so people do not rely on it.
even if the driver had the car in autopilot, it's still the drivers responability to not hit anyone, but if it was anyother car would it's make and model be reported? no, so why go after tesla's cars, just because they are some of the first to offer advanced cruise control systems to the mass market.
emergency brakes only really work below 20mph.
We're not 'going after' Tesla - but the fact that the cyclist is possibly the first in Britain and possibly the first in the world to die in a collision with a new, high profile, brand of car with semi-autonomous functionality is news.
There may also have been a case in Australia also involving a Tesla since the incident in which Mr Heppell died which we are trying to verify. If the semi-autonomous functionality was in use in either case that's definitely news.
This defence of the publication as a news item does seem heavily caveated with ‘possiblys’ and you accept that you have no knowledge regarding whether “the semi-autonomous functionality was in use”.
Isn’t this another sad story of a cyclist losing their life to a motorist who ‘possibly’ was not paying adequate attention to the road? Is the emphasis being placed on the make & model of the vehicle really not misplaced here?
Out of interest, don’t other vehicles (e.g. Mercedes, Range Rover, etc.) possess semi-autonomous functions (self park, advanced cruise control, etc.)? Has road.cc already investigated and ruled out the possibility of any cyclist deaths and collisions with any of these vehicles?
The difference with the Tesla and the other makes of car is that while Mercedes, Audis, Range Rovers, Golfs etc have semi-autonomous functions older models that are still on the road do not have them so journalists cannot simply say thecyclist who got run over by one of these cars possibly got run over while the car was a semi-autonomous mode.
Oh and the car manufacturers make it very clear that you as the driver of that car are responsible for any accidents while driving the vehicle regardless of the mode it is in.
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