This test of Tesla’s self-driving tech is tough viewing: what Mark Rober did the fun way with his Wile E Coyote test of a fake wall in the middle of the road, the team over at The Dawn Project are doing the hard way by testing self-driving Teslas’ ability to stop for pedestrians at flashing school bus signs.
Take a look, it’s a great (if sobering) test of Tesla’s self-driving technology.
Tesla FSD 13.2.9 will still run a kid down while illegally blowing past a stopped school bus with red lights flashing and stop sign extended.
— Dan O'Dowd (@realdanodowd.bsky.social) May 28, 2025 at 9:17 AM
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Oh, and if that video doesn’t work for you, this is my first time linking Bluesky. Here’s a thoroughly cursed Twitter link if you’d rather (just wash your hands after).
Tech Specs for the Test
That’s a Tesla Model Y with the latest iteration of Full Self-Driving, 13.2.9. That version dropped about 2 weeks ago, midway through May 2025.
A Waterfall of Errors
Let’s analyze the chain of failures here:
- The Tesla failed to detect the flashing red stop sign and the flashing bus lights.
- The Tesla failed to stop at the stop sign.
- The Tesla detected the child-sized mannequin, depicted it as a pedestrian on the display console, correctly oriented the pedestrian to be facing the street, and then took no further action such as reducing speed or giving the pedestrian space.
- The Tesla made no apparent attempt to brake or evade immediately prior to impact.
It is a perfectly flawed performance. I’d call it a comedy of errors if it weren’t so serious.
Seeing School Bus Signs is a New Feature for Tesla… And It Seems to Need Some Debugging
When I see errors like this, I go out looking for corroborating evidence. More videos, typically, of drivers testing the vehicles or the technology.
The trouble with that approach: Self-driving Teslas only gained the ability to recognize school bus signs a few months ago, in December 2024.
Let THAT sink in for a second.
Teslas started driving themselves on American roads in October 2015. The same technology that had Youtubers and Tesla fans gleefully driving down the street blindfolded or asleep, THAT tech had no idea how to behave around school buses for about a decade.
So, this is a newly released feature that allows the self-driving Teslas to see school bus stop signs, avoid schoolchildren on foot, oh right, and obey the law by stopping at the flashing lights as required.
On that basis, you wouldn’t think I could find driver videos. But I can! Tesla drivers record everything.
Plenty of Examples of Self-Driving Teslas Blowing School Bus Stop-Signs (And Other Signs!)
Based on a quick search for video footage, Teslas are spotty at best when it come to obeying school bus stop signs since the feature was released a few months ago.
Here’s a Tesla trying to blow through a school bus stop sign with children around on foot, and failing to slow down in a school zone (posted limit of 25MPH, speed on the speedometer is 30MPH, oof!). Driver catches it and manually brakes, but that won’t help much once this technology goes fully unsupervised.
That’s hardly the only example since Tesla released the functionality to make their cars stop for school bus stop signs or flashing lights in late 2024, either. Here’s another. And another.
Autonomous Taxis in Texas in 2 Weeks… At Least School’s Out for Summer?
So, Tesla’s self-driving technology suite can’t reliably recognize one of the most obvious patterns on the road: the big, bright yellow vehicle with flashing red signs that drops off pedestrians who are tiny little terrors who disregard all traffic laws… you know, school kids.
That raises serious questions about the viability of the technology for use without a driver behind the wheel. The autonomous taxis in Austin represent a minor possible upshot for the company (who is apparently striving to compete with Uber and local city cabs). Based on where the tech stands today, based on both The Dawn Project’s testing as well the real-world driver footage we found, I think I’ll look both ways before crossing the street.
