Hands Free Towing

[jcl]

Originally Posted by Life is a Highway

Unless you're a Troll starting trouble

Yea, i got to see here in Florida the couple from California DIE in their Tesla! AUTOPILOT that took them off the turnpike and followed the white lines into the center area rest stop decapitating them both as they were napping or playing Ipads while the Tesla rear ended a stopped Walmart Semi-

GM Ford Tesla I don’t care put you hands on the steering wheel you do not belong on the road next to us your gonna kill someone.

Do you have the accident investigation report yet on that crash in Florida? If so, it would be great to see it. The early one I saw had no confirmation the vehicle was on autopilot (which requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel in any case) and that year and model vehicle was not available with full self driving.

Could have been a medical issue, a driver that fell asleep, a suicide, or a case of pedal confusion. All of which can happen with any brand of vehicle.

News media love to report crashes involving Tesla vehicles. They just let people assume they are self-driving. Great for clicks.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by Icy

Driving your Tesla X in autopilot with a trailer seem a little dangerous. Some of your sensors will be obstructed by your trailer, just like my tow vehicle is. But if you choose to please let us all know, so we can stay off the road that day. Just my opinion, having worked in the automotive electronics business.

Tesla autopilot is not hands free, which is the subject of the thread. It is lane keeping and active speed control.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by SnowWanderer

Autopilot is the beginning of creating drivers too incompetent to be driving, especially in inclement weather or a when sudden emergency occurs.

If one needs a vehicle to drive for them, then they should not be driving. Actively steering and monitoring traffic while using cruise control also has its dangerous limitations, even more so when towing. I'd be concerned with how a tow vehicle responds to striking road debris, icy patches potholes or other obstructions unseen by the distracted driver.

Autopilot seems like an invitation to increased driver inattention and a greater likelihood for increased distracted driving.

Driving is a full time, full concentration, hands-on activity. When actually driving the vehicle becomes secondary, safety goes out the window.

That is almost exactly what my mother said many years back about automatic transmissions. She wouldn't have one.

I felt somewhat the same about rain sensor wipers, as the early ones were problematic. The latest ones are good enough that I never use the wiper control to turn them on and off any more.

Time marches on.

[civeng99]

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Always is.

The public should be truly frightened iof a growing portion of cdl vehicle operators. Poorly trained. Even worse paid and now incredibly distracted.

In the end all of the tech is about satisfying the insurance industry and putting even less qualified people in trucks.

[Andrew T]

The Model S steers itself perfectly when towing. Have two issues with it though. It steers so tight and precise anyway that resting your hand on the wheel is just about as much work as driving.

The other issue is it positions the car in the center of the lane. I find that driving normally that I run towards the right side of the lane to give passing trucks more space. Especially if it’s windy and the trucks are drifting around a little.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Silvr_Bullet

These safety features are great advancements, EXCEPT, the driver should be the first to react to a encroachment upon another vehicle etc. vice versa not so much, doesn’t replace the driver.

If I’m “cut off” I’d rather my vehicle didn’t swerve to avoid being hit, and hit a guard rail or pole instead while the other driver takes off. If someone cuts in without clearance we’re trading paint.

[nnn]

Do you guys use adaptive cruise control when towing or is that dangerous as well ?

Obviously the driver has to be fully engaged and aware of whats going on...

The system can be turned off quickly (same as cruise control) and typically your feet are either on or close to the pedals and your hands similarly positioned to steering wheel.. its not like you are taking a nap ....

if the operator is passing a hazard (pick your hazard) simply turn it off and take control...

cruising along at 65 mph hands free will be the norm for every new tow vehicle in a few years...

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

The Model S steers itself perfectly when towing. Have two issues with it though. It steers so tight and precise anyway that resting your hand on the wheel is just about as much work as driving.

The other issue is it positions the car in the center of the lane. I find that driving normally that I run towards the right side of the lane to give passing trucks more space. Especially if it’s windy and the trucks are drifting around a little. Attachment 427684

Not just the Tesla on the lane centering thing..Subaru's newer cars use a similar system which tries to keep the vehicle centered between the lines. Unfortunately, the system can't see the picture in context and take into account things like a broken up road bed, oversized vehicles approaching from the other direction, overhanging tree branches on the shoulder, etc.

More than once (actually many times) I've had to disable this feature to avoid the system pushing the car into a dangerous situation.

I agree with others that in a few years self-driving while likely be the new normal, but we're not there yet. Not at all in my opinion. My thought is that it won't truly be safe until the vehicles start being able to communicate with each other in real time as part of the self-driving package.

[DewTheDew]

Originally Posted by nnn

Do you guys use adaptive cruise control when towing or is that dangerous as well ?

Obviously the driver has to be fully engaged and aware of whats going on...

The system can be turned off quickly (same as cruise control) and typically your feet are either on or close to the pedals and your hands similarly positioned to steering wheel.. its not like you are taking a nap ....

if the operator is passing a hazard (pick your hazard) simply turn it off and take control...

cruising along at 65 mph hands free will be the norm for every new tow vehicle in a few years...

I use adaptive cruise control when towing, with the "following distance" set to max. But I concentrate forward as I always do and have my foot by the brake. I generally only use it in low- to medium-traffic situations on a multi-lane highway.

[Thiss]

Centering in the lane? That’s not how to drive through a corner. I bet it even brakes in the corner too.

Adaptive cruise? It uses target focusing on the car in front. That’s not how to keep safe distance or avoid collision.

Any of these systems recognize impaired drivers? See deer on the side of the road? Recognize emergency vehicles and get over a lane?

Self driving will only be better once it can collect, process, and react to more data than a human. True autonomous driving will need all the vehicles to communicate with each other and for towing it will require the trailers to communicate too.

OP, no I haven’t driven the most advanced, at this time, systems, but I get the feeling you have never towed anything.

Here is my honest to God advice. You should buy a TV with absolutely none of the automations. Buy a stripped down commercial grade vehicle, and force yourself to learn how to operate a trailered vehicle for about 5 years while the tech improves. Then once these features are improved and you know exactly how the need to perform, go buy whatever automations are out there.

[nnn]

Originally Posted by Thiss

OP, no I haven’t driven the most advanced, at this time, systems, but I get the feeling you have never towed anything.

.

and you would be very wrong .... Had a CDL when I was in the military towing trailers full of bombs and hazmat ...

and for the last 20 years been trailering a 30ft boat @ 9k LBS ...

don't assume

[Thiss]

Originally Posted by nnn

and you would be very wrong .... Had a CDL when I was in the military towing trailers full of bombs and hazmat ...

and for the last 20 years been trailering a 30ft boat @ 9k LBS ...

don't assume

It wasn’t an assumption it was based on your questions of handsfree towing.

Yes, inductive reasoning does draw false conclusions though. I am glad you have experience. I do thank you for your service. I am sorry for being being argumentative, but do know your Airstream is going to be very different than a tractor trailer and a boat both and super cruise isn’t good enough.

Honesty, would do you think your Tesla’s system is up to the task of pulling hazmat and bombs?

[nnn]

Originally Posted by Thiss

It wasn’t an assumption it was based on your questions of handsfree towing.

Yes, inductive reasoning does draw false conclusions though. I am glad you have experience. I do thank you for your service. I am sorry for being being argumentative, but do know your Airstream is going to be very different than a tractor trailer and a boat both and super cruise isn’t good enough.

Honesty, would do you think your Tesla’s system is up to the task of pulling hazmat and bombs?

No worries man....

I know these forums get a bit heated at times.. cheers

BTW - I am not planning on towing anything with my Tesla... but I do enjoy the driver assist system -- and since almost of the big manufactures are offering this in their tow vehicles I would like to take advantage of it ..

I understand many of us have not yet towed with these systems but I truly believe it is going to be a game changer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9pebOY_p08&t=938s

[Thiss]

The Tesla was a “if whatever TV had the same system” question.

Game changer one day. Not yet. I have seen the various videos and ads, read the specs and it is a disaster waiting to happen at this time because it is not getting enough information, but hey it’s at least probably better than the worst of drivers.

As forums are supposed to get heated. It is in the vary word. So thanks for being a good interlocutor.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

I use adaptive cruise control when towing, with the "following distance" set to max. But I concentrate forward as I always do and have my foot by the brake. I generally only use it in low- to medium-traffic situations on a multi-lane highway.

Thats my use model also. I agree the adaptive cruise along with my auto engine brake, lane change alert, and distance monitors all contribute to a much more relaxed experience when towing the AS, especially in the mountains at highway speeds. I don't go more than 250-350 miles a day anymore either...takes a bit longer to get to final destination, but since retirement I am enjoying the trip a lot more while towing.

If/when we all have "autopilot" available while towing, I am sure we will see the statistics of incidents caused by abuse rise. Look at how cell phones have contributed to accidents....some folks will always abuse the technologies.

[Bobbo]

My wife has full auto-pilot. It's name is Bobbo.

[richard5933]

A number of posts to this thread have been deleted due to being off topic. Please keep all future posts relevant to the opening post.

[DewTheDew]

Originally Posted by Bobbo

My wife has full auto-pilot. It's name is Bobbo.

[Kevin245]

Thread closed.