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Comment by olyjohn | Hacker News Reader

The accident happened so fast. How would anybody be able to take over fast enough if your hands aren't hovering directly next to the wheel?

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You have to keep your hands on the wheel, but even then it's not really a motor control issue, the problem is attention and surprise.

I should know this, but don’t… when the vehicle is in computer driving mode with your human hand on the wheel, does the wheel still turn?

I assume for mechanical and practical reasons it does, but I don’t know to what degree it will “fight you”. How much pressure is needed to override the system? If I’m holding it and refuse to let the wheel turn, I assume it gives up and computer mode turns off? But there has to be some degree of resistance it’ll overcome right?

I think it varies but this from today shows it aggressively fighting the driver: https://twitter.com/fly4dat/status/1469410498928156683?s=20

Yea, that’s kind of what I thought it would be like. Hard to tell how much of that is fighting, and how much is “tactile wiggle alert” where it’s not steering that input but is wiggling.

They can wiggle alert safely if it’s full electronic steering and not connected to a tie rod. IDK if that is the case, typically sucks for feeling the road.

That’s correct. The wheel is still moving, and you are required to minimally tension it. Stronger tension will disengage the AP.

It does seem like I'd have to maintain the same level of alertness and attention as when driving, in order to have the continuity of awareness needed to react. Including having my hands on the wheel.

You'd have to be way more alert, a well maintained car is rather predictable and won't throw itself around like that

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