Tesla Updates Hazard Lights Frequency To Improve Safety in Software Update

Tesla is implementing a new hazard light pattern that improves drivers' attention

Emergency Safety Solutions

Tesla is rolling out a significant safety enhancement through a software update. Teslas, already the safest vehicles on the planet, got a little safer thanks to a small company based in Texas. While this article will highlight the advancement in safety, it will also applaud the work of Emergency Safety Solutions, which dared to challenge the old way of doing things.

Overnight Evolution: The Game Changer

Tesla North America didn't mince words when they announced: "If an airbag is deployed, hazard lights will automatically activate & flash faster to improve visibility." Elon Musk added, "New Tesla safety feature uploaded via over-the-air software update. Your car just got better while you slept."

It got much better thanks to a partnership with Emergency Safety Solutions (ESS), which we spotlighted a year ago. The small company, now just five years old, used a Tesla Model 3 to display its advancements in the hazard lights system, which had remained unchanged for more than 70 years. After numerous studies, the company changed everything about the hazard lights and approached Tesla with its findings.

Chilling Frequency: Every seven minutes, a disabled vehicle is involved in a crash on American roads. The result? An alarming 15,000 injuries or fatalities annually.

Ancient Flaws: The primary culprit behind these startling figures is a hazard light system that hasn't been updated in over seven decades.

The Solution: A frequency shift by adjusting flash frequencies from the sluggish 1.5Hz system to between 4Hz and 6Hz immensely heightens driver alertness. Hertz is a unit of frequency, which equals the number of cycles per second. In this case, the frequency of flashing lights is increased from 1.5 flashes per second, up to 4 - 6 flashes per second.

Real-World Outcomes: When 5Hz flash frequency was tested, drivers reacted a crucial 12 seconds faster. Moreover, they recognized an issue of more than three football fields sooner than the 70-year version. The number of drivers shifting to the safer side of a disabled vehicle also shot up dramatically — from 30% to an impressive 87%.

Emergency Safety Solutions also posted on X: "Great step toward making our roads safer for people in disabled and vulnerable vehicles! We appreciate our partnership with Tesla and applaud this major milestone in our mission to protect drivers when they need it most."

Software Update

Tesla states in their post on X that this update is rolling out now in the U.S. to Model 3/Y vehicles and newer Model S and Xs.

It's not clear whether Tesla means this enhancement is available in update 2023.32, or whether it's in the upcoming 2023.38 update, which is currently in employee testing.

It's more likely that H.E.L.P. is implemented in update 2023.38, but we have yet to receive release notes for vehicles in the U.S., so we'll have to wait and see if this enhancement made it in.

More H.E.L.P. to Come

Keep an eye out for even more safety advancements courtesy of this partnership with ESS and Tesla. The company created the Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol or HELP. Beyond the lightning-fast flashes, HELP seamlessly integrates with in-car and phone navigation systems, giving drivers a heads-up about potential hazards before they become visible. It's like giving your Tesla a sixth sense.

Unfortunately, that will take longer as it would require more automakers to get on board with this new system. However, as we've realized, automakers are following Tesla's leadership on several fronts, and they may also increase road safety and implement the advanced system.

If an airbag is deployed, hazard lights will automatically activate & flash faster to improve visibility

Update now rolling out to all US Model 3 & Y as well as S & X (2020 & newer) pic.twitter.com/TadrwKTmtB

— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) October 3, 2023

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Tesla Confirms Robotaxi Event in Los Angeles; Sign Up for a Chance to Attend

Not a Tesla App

Tesla Investor Relations has officially confirmed that they will conduct the Robotaxi unveiling event on October 10^th in Los Angeles. Event sign-up will be done using a random drawing for Tesla shareholders. The final date for entries is a week from today, on September 17^th at midnight, and the selected shareholders will be announced the week of September 23^rd.

Sign Up

You’ll need to own Tesla stock ($TSLA) to participate and will be required to verify your shareholder status on the Investor Relations site. The random drawing provides a better opportunity for those who hold lots of Tesla shares, as they’ll have a higher number of entries. You get one entry per confirmed share held.

At the moment, there are no details on the timing of the event, nor anything about +1 attendees. However, one item of note is that event draw winners cannot transfer their tickets to another party – which means if you get a ticket, it's for you and nobody else.

If you’re located in the United States, you can use ‘Say’ – Tesla’s Investor Relations partner – to automatically verify your shareholder status. For those outside of the United States, unless you’re trading with an American bank, you will need to provide an updated statement showing shareholder status for September 2024. Say takes about 3-5 business days to verify statements, so be sure to sign up early.

Robotaxi Event

The Robotaxi event will take place at the Warner Bros. Discovery Studios in LA, and Tesla has been pre-emptively gathering FSD data around the neighborhood. This likely means that the event will include a demonstration of Robotaxi’s capabilities and a reveal of the Robotaxi itself. We’re hoping that attendees will have the opportunity to sit in and experience Robotaxi delivering them from Point A to Point B inside of the Discovery Studios set pieces.

It’s expected to be one of Tesla’s most interesting and notable events, as this is the first reveal of the much-talked-about Robotaxi, which has been Tesla’s goal for its Full Self-Driving software since Elon Musk’s Masterplan I.

If you’d like to sign up to have an opportunity to attend the vent, you can do so on Tesla’s Investor Relations page here: https://ir.tesla.com/#quarterly-disclosure

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Tesla Adds Steering Wheel Guides for All Wheels in FSD 12.5.2

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s latest FSD update, version 2024.27.5 brings some improvements when parking your vehicle. This is another undocumented, but one we’re happy to see.

Most recently, the Cybertruck received the undocumented change for the Hands-Free Frunk opening (video below). The Cybertruck also recently received Vision Park Assist, which included steering wheel guides in the visualization showing the direction the front and rear wheels were turned. However, it turns out this isn’t just for the Cybertruck.

Update: We’ve updated this article to mention that this feature isn’t included in update 2024.32 yet.

Quick video on the auto frunk. It's literally 🧍‍♂️📐

Works great! pic.twitter.com/QklzH5cRle

— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) September 9, 2024

Parking Improvements

Due to the Cybertruck’s unique rear-wheel steering and steer-by-wire design, Park Assist in the Cybertruck displayed the path of the front wheels, and how they would swing while reversing.

This enhancement is also coming to every Tesla vehicle in FSD 12.5.2 and later. It’s also expected to be available in a future update for non-FSD vehicles. However, it’s unclear whether it will be a later revision of update 2024.32 or the next major Tesla update. This is a neat little update, as it helps drivers better understand and predict the path their vehicle will take during a turn.

Brandon, going by @teslaflexx on X, originally spotted the new visuals recently on an AMD-based Model Y running 2024.27.5 and FSD V12.5.2.

Any vehicles who are on update 2024.27.5 or 2024.27.20 should have access to this new feature.

Looks like Cybertruck wasn’t the only vehicle to get the new guide visuals with park assist. Much better than the lines! pic.twitter.com/tF9ZsWCcWy

— Brandon (@teslaflexx) September 8, 2024

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