A short clip showing Gali Russel (HyperChange) and Omar Qazi (Whole Mars Catalog) testing Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta technology has been shared around social media. In the clip, we see the car, with the technology activated, almost drive directly into a cyclist in the bike lane.
For background, Omar is clearly very bullish about Tesla's FSD Beta, and his videos often show the technology having much success. On the flip side, Gali isn't yet sold on FSD Beta, as it seems he hasn't had quite the experience Omar has had.
In the clip, which you can see in the video above starting around the 25-minute mark (or the tweet below), the two are ironically talking about FSD Beta's safety, when the car veers toward the cyclist. Gali takes over and avoids the bike. Omar begins laughing, after which Gali says he may have to cut that part, though he insists the car wouldn't have actually hit the pedestrian. Omar says there's no need to cut it.
While we appreciate the fact that they've shared the entire video, or at least that seems to be the case, it brings to light yet another case where Tesla's FSD Beta clearly isn't consistent enough to roll out to the masses. Check out a tweet of the clip below, which was shared by Taylor Ogan:
As you can see, Whole Mars Catalog responded that if they didn't want people to see it, why would they post it. Another person also responded by asking why Ogan shared the clip without a link to the YouTube video, which he essentially "stole" it from. Lisa #TeslaTruth, a known Tesla advocate who works to share "the truth" about Tesla, also responded, and they aren't very happy about the tech either.
We've watched and shared a whole host of videos of beta testers highlighting Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta technology. As we've said time and time again, when the technology works as "advertised," it appears to work quite well. Then again, when it doesn't work as expected, it can be outright scary.
That said, there are over 60,000 beta testers now using this technology on public roads. And as far as we understand, there have been no major accidents. Recently, a beta tester hit a temporary pole, and some reports suggest there was a fender bender, though we don't have video proof.
This all begs the question: If 60,000 people are using this every day, where are all the collisions and deaths that skeptics are worried about?
The reason there haven't been accidents or notable incidents is, at the very least, due in part to the fact that the beta testers are intervening. Not only is it their job to intervene, but we imagine they don't want to hurt anyone, nor do they want their expensive Tesla to get damaged. According to Tesla's website pertaining to the Full Self-Driving Capability package:
"The currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous."
In most cases, we may never know if something like the move in this video would have ultimately resulted in an accident since the driver reclaimed control.
On the other hand, many Tesla FSD Beta testers have also pointed out cases in which the technology may have saved them from getting into an accident, which is one of its primary jobs. But again, while Tesla's safety tech may be working to save lives on a daily basis, there's not really any way to prove this either.
Watch the clip in the video above and then let us know what you think by leaving a comment. If you've had the opportunity to experience FSD Beta for yourself, please share your takeaways.
