Here are all the things Tesla's Autopilot needs to fix before its cars can really be driverless

Tesla

The first known Tesla Autopilot fatality occurred in May, reminding everyone that the self-driving feature does not make the car a fully autonomous vehicle. 

As Tesla wrote in its blog about the accident, Autopilot is still in the public beta phase. That's why it requires drivers to pay attention and have their hands on the wheel at all times. There's a lot it can do, like changing lanes and managing the speed of the car, but it still can't do everything. 

Here's a closer look at some of Autopilot's current limitations. 

Tesla Autopilot struggles on roads without clear lane markings.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk vented about this problem to a group of reporters in October, according to the Washington Post. At the time, he showed the lack of clear lane markings on Interstate 405 near Los Angeles International Airport.

When the Tesla can't determine where the lane is, it struggles to navigate safely. Tesla has mapped routes to help adjust for this problem, but it can't realistically do that on every road in America.

It also can't really handle heavy rain or snow.

This is also because inclement weather like heavy rain or snow prevent the car from clearly seeing lane markings.

"Autosteer is unable to accurately determine lane markings due to poor visibility (heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.)," Tesla wrote in its Model S owner manual.

It's difficult for Tesla Autopilot to work properly if a camera or sensor is blocked.

If something happens to block a sensor or camera from getting the information it needs, Autopilot may not be able to operate safely.

A Tesla owner actually experienced this very issue in May when a giant moth managed to fly right into the single forward-facing radar sensor on the Model S. The Autopilot system was rendered useless until the moth was removed.