Can Tesla's Full Self-Driving Convince My Mom After a Near-Fatal Accident?

It's a scary thought: over a million people die in car accidents each year. My own mom was almost one of them. She actually fell asleep at the wheel, which wrecked her car's suspension, blew out a tire, and could have been so much worse. That's why I think cars like Teslas are important.

But here's the thing, she doesn't really trust the idea of full self-driving. So, today, we're doing something a little wild. We're putting her in the driver's seat of a Tesla, using the latest version of Full Self-Driving, and letting it take the wheel to see if it can change her mind.

Here's the deal: if she feels safe enough and lets the Tesla drive itself for the whole trip, she buys a Tesla on the spot. But if she doesn't feel safe and has to take over even a few times, I have to put a ridiculous bumper sticker on my car for a whole week. Honestly, I'm already regretting this.

First Impressions and Challenges

Our first challenge? Parking. "I feel like we're about to rob a bank right now," she joked. The Tesla's cabin camera monitors your eyes to make sure you're paying attention, so you don't have to constantly touch the steering wheel like in other cars. Once you put in the navigation, it automatically plans the route. All you have to do is press the blue button to start self-driving.

"Whoa," she exclaimed as it started moving. "Does it stop?" It did, smoothly navigating the situation. "Amazing," she said.

But there were immediate quirks. "My hat is kind of blocking the way," she realized, as the car needed a clear view of her eyes. "Oh, so I should take off my hat?" she asked, adjusting it so the camera could see her properly.

Understanding the Driving Modes

We discovered different driving profiles can change how the car drives. Right now, it was set to 'Hurry.' "You don't want to hurry," I advised. We switched it to 'Standard,' and there's also 'Chill' and 'Sloth' for even more relaxed driving.

It was impressive to see the car navigate roads without clear lane lines, just knowing to stay on the right side. It even handled construction zones, though it did get a bit intense at times.

"I'm ready to take over," she said at one point, but we managed to avoid it. To disengage, you can either brake or move the steering wheel. The car handled a tricky intersection with cars coming from different directions and even navigated a double yellow line situation.

"Isn't that cool?" I asked. "Yes. Amazing," she replied. She decided 'Standard' was okay for now, but definitely not 'Hurry.'

The Long Haul and Unexpected Turns

My plan was to put her through a two-hour, 100-mile complex route. My goal? To make her sweat.

Things got interesting when we entered a parking structure. The Tesla seemed confused, thinking it was done when we needed to reach the supercharger on the top floor. "Okay, I think you might have to take over here," I said. We had to switch to manual driving, which was a whole new experience for her. Learning to use the touchscreen for Drive and Reverse took a moment.

"I did not expect this to happen," she admitted. "I thought it was going to actually try to go in."

Navigating Freeways and Fog

Our first freeway experience was nerve-wracking. "I'm getting nervous," she said. The car handled merges, though one driver didn't yield. "Some people, they don't give way, you know. Everybody is nice to give way," she commented.

There was a moment where it seemed confused changing lanes, and a sudden stop from another car made her say, "Break. Break." The system monitors her eyes, and even with sunglasses on, it seemed to work.

We faced a close call missing an exit, but the car managed it. Then, a motorcycle driving illegally on the freeway caused a sudden reaction. "Too late," she said as the car struggled to change lanes.

I showed her how to manually signal for a lane change. "So, I signal and the car will go?" she asked. "Yeah. You control it," I explained. "Oh, I got it. That's very good thing to know."

Then came the fog. "I hate driving in the fog," she said. With traffic and low visibility, the car slowed down and changed lanes with the traffic. "That's cool, huh?" I asked. "Yeah, that was good. They know to give way."

She noted, "Sometimes the visibility is very you cannot see." I pointed out the car has multiple cameras, potentially seeing better than us. If visibility gets too bad, it alerts the driver to take over manually.

Testing the Limits

We even tried the 'Hurry' mode briefly. "Just try once. I need it for the video," I pleaded. She cautiously hit speeds of 76-78 mph. "Now try Mad Max," I joked. "No," she replied firmly.

We passed a police car, and she noted, "If we were in a hurry, we wouldn't be speeding. Oh, wow. We would have been cooked." Standard mode seemed to be the safest bet.

I then put the car in a tricky, tight spot to see how it would handle backing out. "What is it supposed to do?" she wondered. To my surprise, it backed out perfectly. "Whoa. That's so cool. That's what I would do." It even managed a 360-degree turn in a tight space.

Costco and Complex Maneuvers

Next stop: Costco. "It's going to park itself in the spot?" she asked, a bit nervous. "I'm so scared that it will misbehave and then I have to take over." But it navigated the crowded parking lot, though it didn't always pick the closest spot.

We then headed to a restaurant. The car seemed confused about the destination being so close to the supercharger where we'd just parked. After a reset, it finally navigated correctly, even slowing for a speed bump.

"Amazing. It's awesome," she finally admitted after it successfully parked itself at the charger. "That was pretty. That's the first time it happened to me."

The Verdict

Reflecting on the experience, she said, "I cannot believe it until I'm on it experiencing the FSD." The biggest hurdle was her initial distrust, stemming from a past close call. But after experiencing the system firsthand, especially its ability to handle complex situations like fog, traffic, and tricky parking, her perspective shifted.

"It's true," she said, acknowledging the system's improvements. "We did it."

And the final moment? "I know. I know. We're buying it," she said, pressing the order button for a Model Y. "Your Model Y is confirmed."

For me, Tesla's Full Self-Driving used to feel like beta testing. But with the latest updates and hardware, it's genuinely changed. If I can trust it with my mom, then it's truly game-changing.