• Posted on:

"More like a Copilot than Self Driving" - A Wise Tesla Driver

With warm weather and limited regulation, Arizona has become the center of the driverless world. With this, there has been a lot of media coverage and overall interest in driverless technology from the general public.

We recently came across a video of a driver who was asked by Fox10 Phoenix to share his experience with Tesla Autopilot.  The video is a quick watch and the driver, Peter Lafford, does a great job explaining the functionality in a way that is easy for everyone to understand. 

Mr. Lafford utilizes his Autopilot nearly everyday from Phoenix to East Mesa, over a 20 mile stretch of mostly highway driving. He states in the video that 95% of the time the Autopilot is fine but that he is very cautious about having his hands on the wheel and staying alert at all times. He mentions that the best part about Autopilot is that it frees you from the pedal and the brake in stop and go traffic. This may seem like a minor benefit but for an everyday driver like Mr. Lafford, this could be the difference between an enjoyable trip and a stressful commute. 

The reporter asks Mr. Lafford how confident are you in Autopilot, and he responded, "I'm really confident, I'm quite happy with it." 

Here is the segment:



We enjoyed the video and were interested in hearing more from Mr. Lafford about his experience. 

He responded and gave us a full review of Autopilot on his 2018 Tesla Model 3. It was no surprise, but he gave the vehicle a perfect rating:

How Safe I Felt: 5 Stars 
Reliability: 5 Stars 
Ease of Use: 5 Stars 
I'd Recommend this Car to Family or Friends: 5 Stars 
Overall Experience: 5 Stars

He continued with additional information:

Tesla's EAP is a great driver assist tool. Now that I've learned that just a slight resistance against the steering that AP is doing is enough to satisfy the system that I am engaged, I can make my whole 33 mile commute "nag-free." Still learning more about how to use it... Just learned today how to successfully enter the HOV lane where it begins. Makes the commute much more relaxing, in stop-and-go traffic, and just cruising. I get frustrated with people who complain because they don't understand it, or just haven't used it. It is NOT SELF DRIVING, it's more like a "Co-Pilot", and when used correctly, it's safer than non-Auto-Pilot travel.

Thanks for the information Mr. Lafford and continue to enjoy your assisted daily commute!



Image credit: Peter Lafford

Comments

No Comments

uber3ubertwitterteslatesla_3tesla_2mugmenulyftlyft_2logotlinkedinleft_arrowleft_arrow_2facebookclose