Tesla's Autopilot Just Saw A Horrible Crash Before It Even Happened

We were pretty impressed by Elon Musk’s claim just a few months ago that the latest updates to Tesla’s Autopilot software would allow it to effectively see through the car in front. Finally, footage has surfaced that suggests it really is a life-saver.

Dashcam footage filmed from inside a Tesla – we think it’s a Model S based on the apparent ride height, but we can’t be sure – shows a really nasty accident on a fast dual-carriageway in the Netherlands.

But a second before the Opel Corsa smashes into the back of a black SUV, causing the latter to spike into the central reservation and barrel-roll, the Tesla’s systems start beeping as Autopilot takes action. Hans Noordsij, the Twitter user who got the driver’s permission to upload the video, confirms that it was the car that hit the brakes, not the human.

Hats off to Tesla; that’s a mighty fine save it just pulled off.