80-year-old woman who's waited a lifetime to be in a self-driving car gives honest reaction to Tesla's FSD
Published on Sep 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM (UTC+4)
by Callum Tokody
Last updated on Sep 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Callum Tokody
An 80-year-old woman rode in a self-driving car for the first time, stepping into a Tesla FSD to see autonomous driving in action.
She admitted to feeling nervous as the electric car moved away on its own, her adrenaline spiking when it made its first turn.
The drive covered suburban streets, highways, and country backroads to test the system in a range of conditions.
Her responses offered an unfiltered view of what it is like to trust a self-driving car for the very first time.
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Self-driving car faces real-world test
In a video posted by OliHarknes via YouTube, Tesla FSD steered through suburban neighborhoods, major roads, and unmarked lanes with steady control.
It slowed for corners, stopped at junctions, and handled turns smoothly.
On highways, the self-driving car held a safe three-second gap from the traffic ahead, a detail that stood out to the passenger as calmer than most human driving.
She also noticed how it kept speed consistent, describing the ride as more even than what she was used to.
The electric car adjusted well to changing conditions.
On dirt roads, it kept below the posted limit, pacing itself to match the surface.
At blind corners it crept forward before committing, behavior the passenger said mirrored her own driving style.
The only major slip came at a dead-end, where Tesla FSD hesitated during a three-point turn and needed help from the supervising driver.
Apart from that, the car managed the trip without intervention, demonstrating how far autonomous driving has developed in everyday use.
Reactions to autonomous driving
For the passenger, who normally drives a 2015 Subaru Forester, the experience was unlike anything she had encountered in more than sixty years on the road.
She said the Tesla felt more comfortable, with seats that fit her better and a smoother ride overall.
Watching the self-driving car take over while she sat in the driver’s seat felt strange at first, but by the end she described the trip as calm and safe.
She called Tesla FSD “truly amazing” and said she was surprised by how natural the drive felt once underway.
Her only hesitation concerned the practicality of owning an electric car, pointing to charging as a bigger issue than the driving itself.
Her candid reactions reflected both curiosity and caution, a mix that many people share when experiencing autonomous driving for the first time.
The ride revealed what Tesla FSD can already achieve on real roads and where human oversight is still needed, offering a glimpse of how self-driving cars may change daily travel.
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Callum Tokody is a content writer at Supercar Blondie, where he covers the latest in the automotive world with a focus on design and performance. Callum has a background in automotive journalism and has contributed to a range of publications in Australia and the UK. Outside of work, he’s a design enthusiast with a soft spot for anything with a V8 and a good story.
