Tesla fails to yield because he is staring at his phone while entering a freeway ramp.
Utah resident and Redditor /u/Al_Tilly_the_Bum shared dashcam footage from Salt Lake City, UT showing the hare-brained moment a driver in a Tesla Model Y doesn’t slow to merge despite signs, flashing lights, and being mere inches away from another car.
The dashcam footage shows his face buried in his smartphone!
/u/Al_Tilly_the_Bum’s thread and video is embedded below.
As mentioned, this happened in Salt Lake City, UT off of W 600 N as cars merge onto I-15 from both directions of traffic of 600 N (Exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As OP’s video shows, he’s merging onto I-15 from 600 N going one way, as shown in the maps screenshot below.
A driver in a Tesla Model Y is also merging from 600 N in the opposite direction but, as OP points out, they have a sign and flashing lights warning them to yield.
Traffic merging onto the 15 from that direction must yield to traffic already in the merge lane.
With OP’s dashcam facing rearwards, we can see the Tesla Model Y driver with his face fully looking at his phone and not on the task at hand…driving!
“I have 100% the right of way and am traveling in a marked lane to make a left-hand turn. I am following traffic laws and the Tesla is not,” OP points out.
Presumably, the Tesla driver’s enabled enhanced autopilot with full self-driving, a feature which allows the Tesla’s cameras and software to safely navigate traffic without input from the driver.
“I have one (a Tesla) It (Autopilot) thinks that shoulder is a lane, and the guy is going right towards the barrier lol,” /u/dhskiskdferh comments
The Tesla Model Y driver misses OP’s rear corner mere inches.
“Didn’t even flinch! Just kept staring at his phone,” /u/xTye replies.
Contrary to popular belief, while AP FSD is quite advanced, you still have to pay attention 100 percent.
This is what the Tesla Model Y manual says.
“Full Self-Driving Capability is a hands-on feature. Keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times and be mindful of road conditions, surrounding traffic, and other road users (such as pedestrians and cyclists). Pay attention to the road at all times and always be prepared to take immediate action. Failure to follow these instructions could cause damage, serious injury or death.”
Tesla Autopilot full self-driving is a must-have for a lot of drivers and a godsend for super commuters.
Regardless of its capabilities, the technology is not up to a point where you can nod off or stare at your phone behind the wheel.
It’ll be several years before that’s a reality.
Until then, Tesla drivers, pay attention!
