Elon Musk tips Tesla navigation feature to shun highways for more scenic routes

Just like the option to avoid toll roads, Tesla's in-car navigation system will be getting a choice to avoid the national highway system altogether.

This was confirmed by Elon Musk during a long game streaming session where he divulged many bits and pieces about Tesla's future plans.

An Avoid Highways option has been high on many a Tesla driver's wishlist of new navigation features, but it takes time to implement, as Tesla does use Google Maps APIs, but has to draw its own routes tailored to EVs and their charging infrastructure.

Not only would the Tesla navigation option to avoid highway traffic allow drivers and passengers to take quieter and more scenic back roads, but in many cases it might get them to their destination safer.

Taking on and off ramps on highways cluttered with semis and speeding traffic participants has been proven to hold four times the risk of an accident because of the different speeds during merging:

Based on the interpretation of our fitted statistical model, we find that being in an influence/ramp area (compared to being in mainline traffic), on average, results in a 4-fold increase in accident frequency. Moreover, we find that during clear conditions, rush hour conditions increase the accident frequency substantially, while during rainy conditions, this increase is much less stark. During non-rush hour conditions, rain decreases the accident frequency substantially, and during rush hours, this decrease is intensified. Model diagnostics and a validation procedure further justify the assumed model form and lend credence to our results.

This is one of the reasons many people don't like taking highways and would prefer calmer routes, where even the higher risk at intersections would result in less severe accidents than on a busy highway.

Elon Musk didn't elaborate when can Tesla drivers expect the Avoid Highways navigation option, but the sheer fact that it is in the cards would be welcomed by those for whom this has been a desired feature for a long time now.

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