Tesla's "Autopilot" enhanced cruise control system only went live two weeks ago, and it may have already saved a few lives. Jon Hall, a Seattle Tesla owner who drives for Uber, was driving south on State Route 99 when a car going the other direction unexpectedly drove straight into his lane. Hall was watching the line of cars on the right and didn't even see the imminent collision — but his Model S did.
The automatic collision-avoidance system took control in an instant: "I did not touch the brake," Hall wrote on his description of the dashcam video he posted to YouTube. "Car did all the work."
There's no sound in the video because he had a passenger and Washington prohibits recording conversations in such a situation — "add your own honking and swearing," Hall wrote.
Autopilot mode will maintain speed and steer, even change lanes, and when it's time to park, it can do that too. There are more features on the way, too, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said. The software is still in beta, however, and Tesla cautions drivers that they must keep their hands on the wheel for safety's sake.
