Risk from Tesla Autopilot: Uber Drivers Rely on Assistance

The international news agency Reuters spoke with employees of Uber and Lyft as well as experts. According to a Reuters report, many Uber and Lyft drivers are resorting to Tesla's autopilot to make long shifts less tiring. The driving assistant can also be used in city centers and allows the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel.

Accident in Las Vegas

The case of an accident in Las Vegas in April 2024 has highlighted this issue. An Uber driver claimed he did not have his hands on the steering wheel when an SUV drove onto the intersection from the blind spot. At the last moment, the driver was able to yank the steering wheel to at least somewhat mitigate the collision. In this case, the Tesla driving assistant could no longer intervene in time. Although it is not prohibited to use driver assistance systems while driving, drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times and closely monitor the traffic to be able to intervene in time if the technology fails.

According to Reuters' sources, many ridesharing drivers are said to be using Tesla's autopilot. One driver estimates, after discussions with colleagues, that this is about 30 to 40 percent of the drivers. The use of driver assistance systems is not prohibited during ridesharing trips - however, drivers must keep their hands on the wheel and watch the traffic to be able to intervene quickly at any time. It is not a truly autonomous driving mode like that of a robotaxi.

Who is actually driving?

If the driver uses the driving assistant to continue driving despite increasing fatigue, this poses an increased risk. According to Reuters, neither Tesla nor Uber or Lyft could determine whether a driver is currently driving for one of the services and using the driving assistant.

The use of driver assistance systems is not only increasingly criticized in ride-sharing vehicles, especially from Tesla, in the USA. Especially since the driving assistance of the Musk corporation's cars has already been significantly involved in accidents with fatal outcomes. Real robotaxis like those from Waymo or Cruise are heavily regulated, but not Teslas used for trips with Uber or Lyft. Tesla has announced that it will bring a special vehicle for ride services to market in October 2024. Whether this will be a real robotaxi is still unclear, Musk wants to present the vehicle on October 10.