It can be difficult to avoid deer on the road. Sometimes they will jump in your way at the last second, leaving you with very little time to react. Other times you’ll come across a deer relaxing on the path, and you’ll have plenty of room to slowly stop or walk around it. Unless you count on Tesla “Fully autonomous driving” system, in which case your car could simply drive without worry.

A user posted a video on the platform from his dashcam Tesla model 3showing him hitting a deer while fully autonomous driving was active, like CleanTechnica reported for the first time. Paul says he was using the Full Self-Driving system where it’s supposed to be used: on a clearly marked highway, with very few other cars around. True, he used it at night, when Tesla’s entirely camera-dependent driver assistance system may have difficulty seeing if the road is not well lit. However, the road – and the deer on it – seemed adequately lit by the electric vehicle’s headlights.

The video cuts off just before sensitive elements appear on screen. Safe to watch. pic.twitter.com/FaXD6Gr68S

– Paul S (@TheSeekerOf42) October 28, 2024

Things take a turn for the worse seven seconds into the video when a deer is seen standing still in the middle of Paul’s driveway. (The video cuts off just before impact occurs.) The deer didn’t jump off the side of the road, it just stood there, looking around. Even so, the Tesla passes through it as if it wasn’t there. There was no braking, no deviation, no warning; The Model 3 simply ran over the deer and, according to the owner, did not stop on its own, even after impact.

It is unclear why the Full Self-Driving system made no effort to avoid the deer. This could have something to do with reduced visibility at night, or because Tesla’s image recognition is just poor at identifying deer. Either way, it’s overwhelming. Although the car survived the accident well, with apparently minimal damage to the front bumper and windshield, the situation could have been much worse if the deer was larger or, for that matter, if it It was something other than a deer. Like a person. It’s worth noting that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system is purely vision-based, without any of the sensors, lidar equipment, or map data used by some of its competitors, like GM with SuperCruise. Perhaps sensors would have detected the deer, even if the cameras couldn’t see it.

Hit the deer with my Tesla.

FSD did not stop, even after hitting the deer at full speed. Huge surprise after having suffered a dozen false shutdowns every day!

I am currently experiencing the worst side of Tesla service. I can’t even get an estimate for insurance. Closest appointments only in January. pic.twitter.com/7PMiROmk5x

– Paul S (@TheSeekerOf42) October 28, 2024

There is, however, another problem here: in the recording there is no human intervention. From the way the video is cut, we don’t know what happens after the collision. Before However, Paul could have avoided the deer if he had paid attention, either by braking or steering. You would have seen at least some contractions before the accident if a human had been in control.

Tesla could argue that this was a “perfect storm” scenario: a small deer, in the middle of an alley at night, on a poorly lit road. But if fully autonomous driving cannot guarantee safety in such conditions, the car must block the use of the system until the appropriate conditions are met. Let this be another reminder that even the most advanced driver assistance systems are just that: driving assistance. They exist to make the task of driving easier or safer, not to completely replace a human.

Do you have any advice? Send them to [email protected]