Video: Self-driving Tesla mows down child-sized dummy in safety test fail

A Tesla Model 3 FSD mows down a child-sized mannequin (Image credit: RealDanODowd/Twitter)

An advocacy group has called on Elon Musk to ban Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, claiming that it fails to notice child-sized objects in its path.

The Dawn Project used a Tesla Model 3 equipped with the latest FSD version (10.12.2) to conduct safety tests that would demonstrate if the car brakes for children in its path, according to The Register. Child-sized mannequins were used for the test which The Dawn Project is now airing as a TV commercial to demand a ban on Tesla FSD “until Elon Musk proves it won’t mow down children.”

“Our Tesla Model 3, equipped with the latest version of Full Self-Driving Beta software (10.12.2) repeatedly struck the mannequin in a manner that would be fatal to an actual child,” it said in a blog post detailing the findings of the test.

Footage of the safety test was shared by the group on Twitter. It shows the Tesla Model 3 striking the child-sized dummy at the end of a road with no other obstructions. The safety test was carried out by a professional test driver, who was tasked with driving between two rows of cones at an average speed of 25mph (around 40 kmph)

Our new safety test of @ElonMusk’s Full Self-Driving Teslas discovered that they will indiscriminately mow down children.

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Today @RealDawnProject launches a nationwide TV ad campaign demanding @NHTSAgov ban Full Self-Driving until @ElonMusk proves it won’t mow down children. pic.twitter.com/i5Jtb38GjH — Dan O'Dowd (@RealDanODowd) August 9, 2022

The group claims that the Tesla repeatedly struck the child-sized dummy while driving at different speeds.

“We have sworn and signed affidavits from all individuals involved during our testing and filming (including our driver, the camera crew and production team), to ensure that what they observed and noted during the filming of our latest commercial was accurate,” it said.

It’s worth noting, however, that the group also says the “test driver's hands were never on the wheel.”

Tesla has warned that its FSD tech does not make the electric vehicle fully autonomous. The driver is in fact supposed to keep their hands on the steering wheel even while enjoying features like auto lane changing.

The Dawn Project’s founder, Dan O’Dowd, slammed FSD as a “lethal” technology, saying “Over 100,000 Tesla drivers are already using the car’s Full Self-Driving mode on public roads, putting children at great risk in communities across the country.”