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    Tesla’s cars can now stop at traffic lights and stop signs, with latest software update 2020.20.13 hitting Australia, NZ and Canada

    Australia, New Zealand and Canada are among the first countries outside the United States to receive a new safety feature from Tesla. In the latest over the air update, software version 2020.20.13, Tesla vehicles can now automatically stop at traffic lights and stop signs.

    This is a major safety improvement for the car and something no other vehicle on the market offers. If you’re following another car to an intersection, then adaptive cruise control will slow you to stop a safe distance from the car ahead.

    However, if you’re the first car to approach a traffic light, or stop sign, most cars will simply let you blow right through if you’re not paying attention.

    I can confirm the feature started rolling out to Australian Tesla owners this morning, for those who have purchased the FSD package. If you haven’t yet, the price is about to go up on July 1st, so make sure you go read my full review.

    With Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (Beta), the car detects traffic lights and on-screen you can see it correctly identifies the colour of the light. For this initial phase of the feature, Tesla is requiring drivers to confirm (via stalk confirm) that it’s safe to proceed through green lights.

    As their AI learns and becomes more confident it understands each intersection, the confirmation will be removed and the feature will slow your car to a stop on a red light, then accelerate away when the light turns to green.

    While the feature has been available in the US for a month or so now, each country’s lights and intersections are slightly different, so Australian Tesla’s will help train on the country-specific elements.

    The car is not yet dealing with Give Way signs.

    This is an important step on the journey towards a feature-complete FSD Package that Musk says is due by the end of the year.

    The full release notes for 2020.20.13 are:

    • Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control is designed to recognize and respond to traffic lights and stop signs, slowing your car to a stop when using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer. This feature will slow the car for all detected traffic lights, including green, blinking yellow, and off lights. As your car approaches an intersection, your car will indicate the intention to slow down via a notification, slow down, and stop at the red line shown on the driving visualization.
    • To continue through the stop line, pull the Autopilot stalk once or briefly press the accelerator pedal to confirm that it is safe to proceed. As with all Autopilot features, you must continue to pay attention and be ready to take immediate action, including braking because this feature may not stop for all traffic controls. This feature will be conservative, slowdown often at first, and will not attempt to turn through intersections. Over time, as we learn from the fleet, the feature will control more naturally.
    • To continue through the stop line, push down the gear selector once or briefly press the accelerator pedal to confirm that it is safe to proceed. As with all Autopilot features, you must continue to pay attention and be ready to take immediate action, including braking because this feature may not stop for all traffic controls. This feature will be conservative, slowdown often at first, and will not attempt to turn through intersections. Over time, as we learn from the fleet, the feature will control more naturally.
    • To enable, shift your car into PARK and tap Controls > Autopilot > Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (Beta).
    • Note: When this feature is enabled, the maximum set speed while using Autosteer is limited to the speed limit of the road. Before this feature can be enabled, camera calibration may be required, and the latest version of Navigation maps must be downloaded via Wi-Fi. Please refer to the Owner’s Manual for additional details about this feature.

    Jason Cartwright
    Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/
    Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021

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