Transportation head says drivers must pay attention at all times after clips emerge of some using what looks like Apple’s Vision Pro

US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday said human drivers must pay attention at all times after videos emerged of people wearing what appeared to be Apple’s recently released Vision Pro headset while driving Teslas.

Buttigieg responded on Twitter/X to a video that had more than 24m views of a Tesla driver who appeared to be gesturing with his hands to manipulate a virtual reality field.

Despite their names, Tesla’s assisted driving features – Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving – do not mean the vehicles are fully autonomous, Buttigieg said Monday on social media.

“Reminder – ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times,” Buttigieg said.

      • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
        252·
        9 months ago

        That’s great if there’s a train that goes where you need to go. For most people in the US that happens approximately never.

        • Chriswild@lemmy.world
          15·
          9 months ago

          If only something could be done about it but it seems for some reason the laws of physics don’t allow trains in north America

            • Chriswild@lemmy.world
              3·
              9 months ago

              That’s why the first intercontinental travel was trains. Over distance trains a substantially more efficient than car because of rolling resistance and differentials.

              That’s why I say the laws of physics don’t apply because we do the objectively worse thing because the government hates building infrastructure.

              The US for instance is about the same size as China yet China has lots of rail because the government will focus on infrastructure.

              • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
                1·
                9 months ago

                Yes, trains are great for long distances. Where they suck is trying to get people from point to point in a sprawling city designed around the assumption that everyone has a car. Cities are so spread out that getting within walking distance of most destinations by train would require an unreasonably large rail system.

                • Chriswild@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  9 months ago

                  Let’s be honest, cars suck at that too and that’s why we’re perpetually dealing with traffic and widening roads.

                  But let’s take Phoenix AZ, the premium suburb sprawl. The light rail is pretty damn good and with a bike it’s pretty painless evern if you need to get a mile or two from the light rail.

                  The main issue with using bikes like this is all the big ass cars and drivers who will not share the road. If we had dedicated bike infrastructure leading to rail it would work just fine even with suburban sprawl.

                  I know this because I did this on the light rail in Phoenix.

                  • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
                    1·
                    9 months ago

                    For what it’s worth, I always vote for more public transit. I’m just never that impressed with the results.

      • YoorWeb@lemmy.world
        1·
        9 months ago

        Last time I’ve checked Tesla’s self driving option comes with a pricy subscription paid monthly.

    • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
      6·
      9 months ago

      I always wondered were there less accidents back then? Horses probably actively try not to run into things right? But they can also get scared and go crazy so who knows

      • Wogi@lemmy.world
        20·
        9 months ago

        Riding horses or in horse drawn carriages was banned in the city of Rome multiple times in antiquity, because of accidents involving two horses.

        Cars will come to a stop, eventually, on their own. Horses get spooked and run, causing a much bigger problem.

        Mary Todd Lincoln once jumped from a carriage after her driver was thrown from the seat and the horse began to speed away. The resulting injury left her with migraines for the rest of her life.

      • the_seven_sins@feddit.deEnglish
        14·
        9 months ago

        There are stories from horses bringing home their drunk, sleeping ‘drivers’ because they knew their way home.

        I’d guess there were less alcohol related accidents…?

        • unphazed@lemmy.world
          1·
          9 months ago

          Yeah but streetcleaners would get it every hour or so and transport it off to farms. You know, the giant gardens that are so depleted of nutrients they spray chemicals constantly to replenish.

      • XTornado@lemmy.ml
        1·
        9 months ago

        I saw a horse go crazy recently and yeah… the horse didn’t hit shit…but the ones on the carriage…10/10 wouldn’t recommend.