Technology

Tesla test drivers believe they’re on a mission to make driving safer for everyone. Skeptics say they’re a safety hazard.

Drivers said they are willing to take on the risk even if they have to intervene — believing they are on a world-changing mission

By Reed Albergotti and Faiz Siddiqui
Today at 7:00 a.m. EST

SAN FRANCISCO — Kevin Smith has a love-hate relationship with driving. He was rear-ended twice in a short span of time, his daughter crashed her car weeks after getting her drivers license and his mother chose to surrender hers after she started missing red lights. ... “I felt like I needed better driver assistance or I was going to have a panic attack,” he said.

Smith is now part of a group of at least 12,000 beta testers for Tesla’s polarizing “Full Self-Driving” software, which can attempt many everyday driving tasks, albeit sometimes unpredictably. Despite its flaws, Smith believes it’s safer. He is willing to take on the task even if he knows he might have to intervene when software makes mistakes: running a red light, driving onto light-rail tracks or nearly striking a person in a crosswalk, all scenarios that beta testers interviewed by The Washington Post have encountered on the road.

"It de-stresses me,” he said in an interview. “I observe more. I’m more aware of everything around. I feel safer with it on.”

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“In the beginning when I heard it was going to be pushed out to the public I was like, ‘Uh-oh, not good,'” said one former Tesla Autopilot engineer, who had early access to the Full Self-Driving beta and spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation from the company. He recalls thinking: “It’s not ready to be put into the hands of the public.”

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By Reed Albergotti
Reed Albergotti is The Washington Post's consumer electronics reporter, taking readers inside powerful and secretive companies such as Apple and shedding light on the murky and global industry responsible for building the myriad devices that touch every aspect of our lives. He spent 12 years at the Wall Street Journal and four at the Information. Twitter https://twitter.com/reedalbergotti

By Faiz Siddiqui
Faiz Siddiqui is a reporter with The Washington Post's technology team. His coverage includes Silicon Valley's ride-hailing giants, nascent mobility startups and companies deploying electric and self-driving vehicles. Twitter https://twitter.com/faizsays