--- title: "As Tesla Driver Boasts to Passenger How Awesome Full Self-Driving Is, Car Suddenly Swerves Into Oncoming Traffic" description: "A video shows an overly confident driver attempting to show off his Tesla's \"Full Self-Driving\" (FSD) capabilities, only to almost crash." date: "2024-06-10" modified: "2024-06-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-full-self-driving-swerves" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # As Tesla Driver Boasts to Passenger How Awesome Full Self-Driving Is, Car Suddenly Swerves Into Oncoming Traffic ![A video shows an overly confident driver attempting to show off his Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) capabilities, only to almost crash.]() *\Image: nuttybudd via Reddit\* ## Soft Swerve An equally [hilarious and terrifying video]() making the rounds on Reddit shows an overly confident driver attempting to show off his Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) capabilities — only to intervene seconds later as the vehicle veers straight into oncoming traffic. "At the end of the day, you don't need mapping, you don't need to know where you are at a centimeter level," the driver boasted to his friend. "You just need really good AI, really good intelligence." "All the extra hardware, to get the Waymo to run," he added, before shouting "fuck!" as his car swerves to the left into the oncoming lane. While the driver was able to react in time, jerking the vehicle's steering yoke to the right, it's yet another sign that Tesla's so-called "self-driving" tech is still alarmingly underbaked — especially combined with overconfident users. Even despite almost crashing his car, the driver seemed unfazed. "This car can do pretty well, without any of that," he concluded after taking control. ## Elon Take the Wheel The driver's comments highlight how persuasive Tesla CEO Elon Musk's claims that self-driving cars don't need sensors beyond a suite of cameras have been. Musk has [long argued]() that self-driving vehicles don't need LIDAR and other types of advanced sensors to successfully and safely navigate city streets, an approach that differs significantly from competing companies like Waymo. The mercurial CEO has repeatedly [promised major breakthroughs]() with each iterative version of his company's controversial FSD software. He's also [infamously promised]() that Tesla will realize self-driving cars every year for a decade. But as the video demonstrates, Tesla still has a *lot* of work to do. It's only the latest in a string of terrifying videos making the rounds. For instance, late last month a different video showed a Model 3 [getting confused]() by a railroad crossing with FSD turned on, almost driving straight into a train. The company's tech is already being investigated by both the [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]() and the [Justice Department](). It has been linked to [hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths](), but remains accessible to Tesla owners to this day. While the EV maker has [made some changes]() in light of a [major recall]() affecting more than two million cars late last year to ensure its drivers are paying attention, regulators still found that drivers were lulled into a false sense of security and "were not sufficiently engaged in the driving task." Worse yet, Tesla has [seemingly undone some of those changes]() with its latest update over the weekend, removing a "nag" that prompted users to keep their hands on the steering wheel. **More on FSD:** *[Tesla Makes Moves to Roll Out Its Controversial “Full Self-Driving” Tech in China]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()