Occasionally, Teslas have been known to have accidents while on Autopilot. However, despite the scrutiny Tesla’s Autopilot systems have undergone in recent months, the electric vehicles (EVs) are still considered safer than if they weren’t engaged, according to the company itself and other data.
A new report from Loup Ventures echoes the past claim that EVs are safer with Tesla Autopilot engaged, according to accident statistics shared by Tesla.
Safety matters. I wouldn’t drive without seatbelts, wouldn’t drive without airbags, and would not drive without Tesla autopilot. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/vQZN9ptLTO
— Gail Alfar (@GailAlfarATX) March 17, 2021
While Tesla’s Q4 2020 safety report shows just one accident for every 3.45 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged, non-Autopilot engaged Teslas registered one accident for every 2.05 million miles in the same time period, effectively depicting that Autopilot creates fewer accidents than Teslas without it.
For all vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports one accident every 475,000 vehicles, showing the stark difference in accidents between a Tesla and the average car.
Tesla began reporting its accident numbers in Q3 2018, and the EV company has been doing it ever since, with, mostly, gradual improvements quarter-to-quarter to the rate of accidents with Autopilot engaged.
It’s also helpful to remember that Autopilot and its upgraded, still-in-beta counterpart, Full-Self Driving (FSD), are both still in their infancy, and Tesla still has a long way to go in its quest to perfect these technologies for consumers.
Elon Musk has previously said he is ‘extremely confident’ FSD will be released for Tesla customers in 2021, but that remains to be seen.
