Tesla Malfunction: Full Self-Driving System Seen Violating Traffic Signs on School Buses

The advanced driver assistance technology is expected to encounter certain issues while Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) is still in testing. Considering the school buses, vehicles make regular stops to allow students to enter or disembark and are required by law to stop in all lanes that are not divided by a median. People would think that identifying that would be a key concern for Tesla engineers. However, according to another organization's tests, FSD completely missed school bus stop signs.

Following the report from The Byte, the tests were carried out by the anti-Tesla special interest group The Dawn Project, which is actively fighting to prohibit FSD - so take what you will from the results. To the operation's credit, an internal camera displays the pedals, which are lit by a lamp, to prove that the operator is not accelerating the automobile. The interface screen is also visible, indicating that Autosteering is activated, although it's uncertain if full self-driving is as well.

Clear Malfunction Regardless of the Side

Regardless of bias, the footage is disturbing. It shows two incidents of a Tesla allegedly employing FSD failing to slow down for a halted school bus with a stop sign when children are close. Furthermore, FSD disregarded school zone speed restrictions, with almost 40 miles per hour despite plainly visible signs urging cars to keep under 15, as stated by the advocacy group in their report.

Assuming everything is reported truthfully, the results appeared to reveal severe flaws in Tesla's system for driving assistance. It is worth condemning the project for testing FSD in a real-world context without the approval of others around them, and for failing to act in one example when the car raced past a school bus stop sign.

A quick Google search will provide footage of Autopilot successfully stopping for school buses, as well as instances where FSD allegedly does not. While larger research or more information would be ideal, the mere fact that these discrepancies exist at all may be sufficient proof to many observers that FSD shouldn't be declared roadworthy.

School bus driver doing safety check - stock photo

(Photo : Marilyn Nieves | GETTY IMAGES)
School bus driver checking multiple aspects of the bus before route. Tesla’s Malfunction Full Self-Driving System Seen Violated Traffic Signs on School Buses.

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Tesla's Malfunction Reports

At the absolute least, it may benefit from a name change as well as a thorough rebranding so that drivers aren't misled into believing the system is completely self-driving when it isn't - something that authorities such as the California DMV have been eager to address.

Aside from that, owners have openly complained about faults with Tesla's FSD Beta, with accounts of their automobiles making hazardous left turns or abruptly halting for no apparent reason. At the same time as these vulnerabilities are becoming apparent, Tesla just announced an increase in the cost of participation there in the FSD Beta software testing program.

In another report, according to The Drive, it appears that another flaw in Tesla's system is raising its ugly head. A tiny minority of Tesla owners have reported that their vehicles stop too soon while nearing a stop sign. A Tesla owner & Twitter user going by the username @cowcumber ended up taking it upon themselves to investigate the issue. Cowcumber discovered that the halting problem only happened on specific exit ramps. They discovered a size disparity between both the signalized intersections at exit ramps and even the stop signs in their area after additional study.

Cowcumber used its trusty tape measure to establish that stop signals at exit ramps are 60 percent larger than stop signs in local residential districts. Tesla has been quiet on the matter, which is unsurprising given the company's lack of an established public relations staff. Tesla has not been silent in its request that people refrain from sharing recordings of its own FSD Beta-equipped cars going over child-sized dummies.