- A man has been filmed repeatedly interfering with a Tesla Cybercab.
- After hiding behind a pole, he jumped onto the street in front of it.
- The vehicle stopped, but the man continued trying to provoke a response.
Tesla’s autonomous driving technology has generated a ton of interest over the years and there was little doubt the Cybercab would do the same. However, some people appear to be taking things a little too far.
In a clip posted on social media, a person can be seen standing behind a pole and then jumping onto the street in front of a Cybercab. In effect, it appears they were trying to hide from the vehicle and see if it would detect them and then stop at the last minute.
More: A Tesla Robotaxi Got Boxed In By Bollards, So It Bulldozed Its Way Out
The Cybercab comes to a halt, but this was incredibly stupid and dangerous. Despite this, the man starts running alongside the vehicle before crossing back onto the street. The man also appears to make two similar attempts later, although he doesn’t step onto the street in the last go.
While the Cybercab stopped on every occasion, this was done on a public street with other traffic around. A driver in a blue Jeep appears to get caught up in the mess about 13 seconds into the clip.
As you can see, the vehicle appears to get stuck behind the Cybercab due to these ‘tests.’ The driver quickly changes lanes and passes by, but it’s not inconceivable that an accident could have occured if the driver wasn’t paying attention.
Needless to say, you shouldn’t put yourself or others in harm’s way to test an autonomous vehicle. If you want to take a ride in one, go for it, but don’t repeatedly rush the vehicle and jump in front of it to see if it hits you. Otherwise, you might as well be competing for a Darwin Award.
As for the Cybercab, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation earlier this month following the commercial deployment of a small number of vehicles in Austin, Texas. Tesla certified the vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards despite it lacking a “brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel, and mirrors.” The investigation will examine the “extent to which Tesla’s certification depended on determinations that certain FMVSS are inapplicable to the Cybercab.”
