Having a car that can detect the road ahead can be a huge plus, especially when something happens at highway speeds.
Tesla’s updated Autopilot system can not only keep tabs on the car in front, but actually see ahead of it by bouncing radio waves underneath or around the vehicle directly in front of you.
It’s a clever say to keep you safe, especially on the highway where cars often travel at higher speeds and you don’t always have optimum visibility ahead.
What happens here is a perfect example of such a scenario. You can tell from the dashcam footage of what we assume is a Model X (due to its height) that had it not been for the car’s systems, the driver would have had no idea that the SUV in front was braking hard. Luckily, the Tesla knew what to do, sending out an audible warning almost two seconds before the red Opel Corsa slammed into the back of the SUV.
The driver of the Tesla, a Mr Hans Noordsij, stated that Autopilot started braking before he could apply the brakes himself, and that everybody involved in the crash turned out to be OK, as reported by Electrek.