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Grandma Is Terrified by Tesla Autopilot

Robert Hackett
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Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
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Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
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April 14, 2016, 7:31 PM ET
Tesla Introduces Self-Driving Features With Software Upgrade
Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors, speaks during an event the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015. Tesla Motors Inc. will begin rolling out the first version of its highly anticipated "autopilot" features to owners of its all-electric Model S sedan Thursday. Autopilot is a step toward the vision of autonomous or self-driving cars, and includes features like automatic lane changing and the ability of the Model S to parallel park for you. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg via Getty Images

Driving can be stressful, sure.

Getting behind the wheel of a self-driving car can be even more stressful for some people though. In a video clip that recently posted on YouTube (it has since been made private), an elderly woman yelps for dear life as she sits in the driver’s seat of a Tesla (TSLA) car while the company’s autopilot feature works its magic.

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“It’s scary!” she screams, arms raised. “Oh, there’s cars coming!”

“Owwoahhhhaaa” she exclaims, terrified, clutching clenched hands.

“Agh! Agh! Oooh! Where’s it going? God damn, Bill!” she blurts, petrified, over the giggles of her passenger (Bill, presumably).

Tesla’s autopilot feature is semi-autonomous, meaning it can automatically steer and change lanes on highways, but still sometimes requires a human to take control (especially in environments like city streets). Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk told Fortune at the end of last year that full autonomy—truly driverless cars—are approximately two years away.

When Fortune’s own Katie Fehrenbacher tested Tesla’s autopilot feature on its Model S car in the fall, she kept comparatively calm, though she conceded to being unsettled. “It’s a little bit scary, I must admit.” she said, narrating the experience while zipping (nay, being zipped?) down a freeway near Palo Alto, Calif.

Whether drivers are ready for it or not, every major automaker appears to be racing toward an autonomous future. Ford (F), Toyota (TM), and General Motors (GM) have all announced driverless car programs, while Tesla (TSLA), Google (GOOG) and reportedly Apple (AAPL) are at work on vehicles of their own.

“This is so scary,” the grandmother cries, resigning herself to a fate she neither can avoid nor control.

Can you blame her, dear reader?

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
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