Company Vehicle Log: Fill & Download for Free

On May 7th at 3:40 PM, a Tesla Model S was being driven by Joshua Brown. He was headed east in the outside lane of U.S. 27A near Williston, Florida. The Tesla was operating under Autopilot, with steering, braking and acceleration under control of the vehicle and with the front-collision detection system and related braking and avoidance activated. There is little indication that the Tesla was driving at any unusual speeds at the time of the collision and Tesla’s Autopilot is restricted to five miles over posted speed limits in many locations with recent updates, although it is not clear that the Tesla would experience that restriction in this instance.Per the July 26 NHTSA preliminary report, the Tesla was traveling at 74 miles per hour, nine miles over the posted speed limit at the time of the collision.Joshua Brown was 40 when the collision occurred per his obituary, but his age was reported as 45 in some reports.An 18 wheel tractor-trailer was traveling west on US 27A in the left turn lane toward 140th Court. The truck was driven by Frank Baressi, 62 of Tampa. The tractor-trailer appears to have been a standard US 18-wheeler. It was not equipped with side-under ride guards as is standard in other parts of the world, but did have a rear under ride guard as is standard almost everywhere. The truck was white.The day was clear and sunny. The road is very flat and straight, so the Tesla would have been clearly visible from the height of a cab of a truck.The truck made a left turn onto NE 140th Court in front of the car.The car did not detect the 18 wheeler and treat it as a threat or obstacle to be avoided. This comes in three pieces. Apparently due to the low contrast between the white truck and the sky, the Mobileye component of Tesla’s solution did not identify it as an obstacle. Tesla’s radar component is set to be more a forward but low sensor, without apparent identification of anything above the height of the hood. The sonar sensors are limited to 16 feet regardless of direction, so would have been of no use. Tesla indicated in subsequent remarks that the high and wide side of the truck was interpreted by the system as an overhead sign.Joshua Brown did not see the truck either. A portable DVD player and a laptop were found in the Tesla, but per the most recent statements from the Florida Highway Police, neither were running after the crash. Neither the car’s automation or Joshua Brown applied the brakes or performed any evasive maneuvers.The car collided with the trailer of the 18 wheeler at roughly 90 degrees at roughly the mid-point of the trailer. The car’s roof struck the underside of the trailer as it passed under the trailer. The car’s roof was sheared off. The car passed under the trailer and continued traveling. Per the NHTSA July 26 report, the car was not powered but merely coasting after the collision and traveled 297 feet before hitting a pole. It went off the road to the south at a shallow angle, hit two light barbed wire fence sections and a power pole before coming to a stop. Joshua Brown was apparently killed instantly when the car’s roof was sheared off. The truck driver, Frank Baressi, was uninjured.From the evidence available publicly, it appears that the tractor trailer driver turned unsafely in front of oncoming traffic that was proceeding at safe and expected speeds for this road, and should be considered the primary responsible actor in this collision. This is borne out by Reuters and other reports indicating that the driver did not yield the right of way and that charges were pending.On May 16, Tesla informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the collision. May 18 a Tesla staff member traveled to Florida to inspect the crash site, vehicle and pull the vehicle logs. In the last week of May Tesla finished its internal review.On Wednesday evening June 29th, Tesla learned that the NHTSA would be performing a preliminary evaluation into the performance of Autopilot related to the crash.On Thursday June 30th, Tesla posted their statement on their blog and referenced it in their Twitter feed.Mobileye, the Israeli tech company which provides key components of Tesla’s system, but is only part of the overall Autopilot solution, stated that their system does not detect side collisions at this point but that is a feature that they will add in the future. Tesla, in comments on this asserted as they have in the past that Mobileye is not the entirety of their solution, and that there are additional sensors and logic running.Tesla asserts that a fatal collision occurs with every 94 million miles driven by vehicles in the USA and every 60 million miles in the rest of the world. They assert that Teslas had driven 130 million miles under Autopilot control at the time of the collision. Note that this is not a statistically valid argument, but merely an indicator at this point. Another fatal collision tomorrow would reverse the argument they are suggesting. Until the sample size reaches a statistically valid number, it is not evidence that an argument can be based on.The lack of side under ride guards on trucks in the USA is associated with 250 traffic fatalities annually, ignoring pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in urban areas. It is standard in Europe and testing has found it is a benefit from a fuel consumption perspective and reduces turbulence from trucks on other road users. Side under-ride guards would almost certainly have prevented the fatal outcome.Sources:A Tragic LossTesla driver killed in crash with Autopilot active, NHTSA investigatingA fatal Tesla Autopilot accident prompts an evaluation by NHTSAHighway patrol found DVD player in wreckage of fatal Tesla accidentPortable DVD Player Found in Tesla Involved in Fatal Autopilot CrashRegulators Open Investigation Into Fatal Crash in Tesla on AutopilotNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)Tesla Autopilot partner Mobileye comments on fatal crash, says tech isn’t meant to avoid this type of accident [Updated]Tesla driver killed in autopilot crash might still be alive if trailers had side underride guardsPolice BeatDVD player found in Tesla car in fatal May crashDoes Tesla's Autopilot Suffer From A Dangerous Blind Spot?Laptop in wreckage of Tesla Autopilot car: Florida investigators - One America News NetworkMisfortune - Tesla blog follow onHighway Preliminary Report HWY16FH018Update July 6, 2016 with further nuances and references.Update July 7, 2016: FHP clarified in a statement that a laptop and DVD player were found in the car but neither were running after the crash. Mixed earlier reports had various people quoted in different ways about a video running in the vehicle. Tesla clarified timeline of reporting the accident and recovering vehicles logs in a new blog post.Updated July 26, 2016: NHTSA report makes the speed and subsequent car movement clear.Like my content? Help it spread via Patreon. Get confidential consulting via OnFrontiers. Email me if you’d like me to write for you.

Few kilobytes per trip. Constant surveillance is too expensive for normal vehicles. Log files take next to nothing. Sending video/audio and even photos is something way too much for a car company.

Funny you should ask this question…happened to ME last week.Some background info:Maui has been on a pretty heavy COVID lockdown since March. I’m in Power generation, and drive an unmarked company vehicle. I also have a letter from the governor’s office explaining my role as an “essential worker”. Kind of unusual as I’m not public works. I work for a very large global company which I will not name. Been working through the whole Covid fiasco - business as usual for me. Others on the island? Not so lucky. Tempers are growing short. 50% unemployment, unemployment payouts are weeks behind or just not coming for some. Roughly half the population wants to get back to work and their lives - our local government is really screwing our economy up badly cause they can’t cover or process the unemployment claims - but hey… our COVID numbers are among the lowest in the nation (and the world) half our population is taking church food bag handouts… but hey! gotta “flatten the curve” right? we have less than 100 active cases in the state on 7 islands with a 1.5 million population… and we have travel checkpoints, uniformed soldiers standing post at our county buildings, random traffic stops, and other somewhat suspect examples of authority overreach.so, I was driving home from work Via the grocery store (picked up dinner fixins on the way home) this is a permitted travel scenario.I’m an essential worker driving home from worktravel to/from grocery stores is necessary and permitted travel.as I leave the grocery store, I look in my rear view mirror, an unmarked low pro Chevy Malibu had pulls in behind me. I recognized it as a Police car immediately (cheap wheels, dark color, extra antenna faring, spotlight on A Pillar, unlit but obvious grille strobes, etc, not to mention I noticed the officer getting into it with a takeout bag in his hand as I passed by.this didn’t concern me at all, as I’m very contentious about driving within the confines of traffic law when driving a company truck.well this cop car bird dogs me all the way back to my neighborhood - always staying a proper two car lengths back or so… until I turn into my sub division. he pulls up right on my bumper… crap. I’m going to get lit up and I’m less than a half block from my house - he closed in to get my plate and run it for a stop.I literally pull into my driveway just as he hits the lights.so I turn off the engine, roll, down my window and grab my DL, registration and insurance card out of my glovebox. Might as well play the game like it’s legit… to be safe I DON’T click my garage door open - he doesn’t need to see whats in my garage - though I have nothing to hide.instead if the usual “do you know why I pulled you over” line, I get: I get a gruff “where are you traveling to?”oh lovely… a random “lockdown stop” he’s on a fishing trip… nice. not cool.“that’s not your business officer”. Says I, “But perhaps if you ask to look at my DL you’ll figure that one out without asking me questions you really don’t have a right to ask?”You are aware there is a stay at home order? says he.“yes sir, I’m aware of this, do you have probable cause to stop me for a lockdown violation when In fact there are a number of legitimate reasons to be on the road that are NOT violations of the lockdown? And that by asking me where I’m going, or where I have been that could be construed as a request to incriminate myself - if I were indeed in violation of said order? ““license please” I had it over with a smile - here you go.(the truck is registered out of state address to my company not my home, so I knew right away he didn’t know the driveway I pulled into was MINE. Lol)is this address on your license your current residence?uhh yeah sir… are you aware you are standing on it? I point to the house number, So now you know my destination… and you didn’t need to ask me an illegal question… why did you pull me over again?he asks me, “where are you coming from? “I answer“I know you know the answer to that question, you pulled out of the same place I did - even saw you carrying the bag of takeout to your cruiser which is probably sitting on your passenger seat. “ what did you get from L&L? Lau lau plate lunch? You look like a guy that likes Lau Lau.this raises his eyebrows.he grins. “Who is stopping who here brah?you saw all that? ““yeah - wild guess on your order though.” Says I.“good guess lau lau plate lunch - I saw the grocery bags in the back seat, When I walked up to your window. and yeah - I knew where you came from, didn’t bank on you being a smart ass, usually people don’t stand up for themselves like you did”“I knew you were a safe stop” says he.my turn to look confused.“yeah, see - you are driving a working mans truck leaving a grocery store. so knew I Probably wouldn’t have to write you a ticket for Lockdown violation - I Really don’t want to do that to any of our citizens… plenty tough times even without my bosses making me write dumbass tickets some can’t pay, and that I feel are wrong. so I’ve been pulling over the “safe ones” And then letting them go when they are essential travelers Basically it’s To keep my bosses happy. and show I’m stopping more cars. I only hammer the ones that do something dumb or illegal, which pre COVID - I’d be doing anyway. so this goes in my log as a “suspected lockdown violation stop” verified essential travel, no citation or warning issued. this being your driveway was an interesting twist though”.