Is this thing (AutoPilot) ON?

Tesla made a wise decision to not have a blatant external indicator when AutoPilot is engaged, even though sometimes I wish the in-the-car indicator was more obvious, like a green ring around the steering wheel. Once in a while, engaging the AutoPilot only engages the Traffic Aware mode without AutoSteering. Darn, that second pull of the little lever stick did not register. At the same time, I do wish the loud sound when AutoPilot is engaged could be disabled. And please, oh god, please, get rid of the stupid cowbell Easter Egg, Mr Musk!

There are so many Teslas on the road during my 45-minute morning commute and more and more every week that soon Teslas will outnumber all other cars combined. It’s crazy what a year can do. Electric cars are destined to rule, but just one brand? We shall see.

How to detect if another car is on AutoPilot

I use AutoPilot every day almost 80% of the time, and wonder about others. There’s no surefire way to know. It’s easier to figure out if it is not on AutoPilot:

• Not centered in the lane

• Keeps a fair distance from the car in front

• Changes lanes without using turn signal

• Does not give way to motorcyclists

Some indicators that AutoPilot is on:

• overly hands-off driver

• steering wheel moves by itself

• driver dozing off