Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently explained how to stop one of the company's electric cars from outside the vehicle when it's using Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD). Naturally, a human driver can override the computer at any time but there can be a few rare instances where a driver becomes incapacitated or loses consciousness behind the wheel. While a car being driven by the computer is a potentially dangerous situation, it would be worse without Tesla's system guiding the car to stay in its lane and avoid collisions.
Tesla's Autopilot and FSD are generally considered good safety features and Tesla cars enjoy top safety ratings. The vehicles still require human drivers as a backup for times the computer misinterprets a situation. When the human is incapacitated due to a health issue, drug use, or simply falling asleep, the computer has to operate on its own. If the car detects that the human is not monitoring the road and ready to take over, it will send alerts to the driver to hold the wheel. If these requests are repeatedly ignored, the Tesla computer will slow down and gradually navigate to a stop when it is safe to do so.
Elon Musk replied in a Tweet to a post about a Tesla being trapped in a circle of salt, as if the vehicle was a supernatural being. The Tesla CEO's response revealed how to stop a Tesla from the outside when it's being guided by the onboard computer. A carefully painted or chalked in line is a known trick that can catch an autonomous vehicle, and while salt would work, it would take quite a lot and be harder to manage. Musk pointed out that the lines would probably work on Autopilot but with FSD a circle of cones would be required to trap a Tesla. On a related point, a Tweet from Ray4Tesla highlighted a police car employing another method to stop a Tesla when the human driver is unconscious.
Driver-less Teslas & The Magic Of Circles
When the human driver is unavailable, a Tesla will keep driving if Autopilot or Full Self-Driving is engaged. This prevents the car from swerving or crashing as it would in a car without such safety features. Eventually, the vehicle should stop, unless the incapacitated driver still has their hands on the wheel. If a car in front slows and blocks the Tesla's ability to pass, it can be forced to slow and stop, as shown in the video of the police car.
Another method is to create a circle of painted or chalked lines that are dotted on the outside and solid on the inside. The rules of the road say that it is okay to cross the dotted side but not the solid side. Although circles are often used in fantasy stories as a way to trap magical creatures, they also work on modern technology as well. Musk pointed out that FSD might not be fooled by the lines, but a ring of traffic cones will trap it, which would require a person to be present to close it in. When it becomes necessary, it is possible to stop a Tesla that's being controlled by its computer, from the outside.
Source: Elon Musk/Twitter