Tesla’s Autopilot feature drives a man to hospital, saves his life

Autonomous driving technology is actually supposed to help drivers attain driving skills beyond their actual capabilities, but off late it has been the centre of criticism by many because of the risks associated with it.

Although Tesla - American automotive and energy storage company that designs, manufactures, and sells electric cars - earnestly claims that deaths from traffic accidents could be reduced by autonomous driving technology, the critics claim that Tesla should have never released Autopilot in its current form.

If not the critics, one man is convinced that Tesla can save lives. Joshua Neally, a Missouri man who suffered a pulmonary embolism - a potentially fatal obstruction of a blood vessel in his lungs was actually saved by Tesla Model X that drove him to a local hospital, in its Autopilot state.

As per Slate's report, Joshua Neally left work and began to drive home in his week-old Tesla Model X, activating the Autopilot feature when he entered the highway. Further down the road, he felt "the most excruciating pain he’s ever had," in his chest, and after calling his wife decided to go to the nearest emergency room.

The report states, "As he writhed in the driver’s seat, the vehicle’s software negotiated 20-plus highway miles to a hospital just off an exit ramp. He manually steered it into the parking lot and checked himself into the emergency room, where he was promptly treated. By night’s end, he had recovered enough to go home."

As Neally tells it, Tesla’s Autopilot helped save his life, specifically noting that if he had to assume control of the car for the full 20+ mile trip, he might have very well lost control. It also allowed him to get to the emergency room instead of having to pull over and wait for an ambulance.

This report serves as a counterpoint to the accident in Florida that took the life of driver Joshua Brown, where his vehicle failed to see a tractor trailer truck that had crossed its path. In fact, Slate's report suggests that it isn’t the first time that a Tesla feature has saved lives. There have been instances where the cars have automatically stopped for pedestrians, or where the vehicle has moved out of the way of another car or truck.

"It's not going to be perfect, there's no technology that is perfect, but I think the measure is that it's better and safer," said Neally.