Tesla Q2 2021 Vehicle Safety Report: Autopilot Accidents Decrease

Tesla posted the second consecutive quarter citing year-over-year decreases in miles driven per accident in its quarterly safety report on Friday, showing yet another steady decrease in accidents with Autopilot engaged (via InsideEVs).

In the Q2 report, Tesla said it recorded one crash for every 4.41 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged (Autosteer and active safety features), while it recorded one for every 1.2 million miles driven without

“For drivers who were not using Autopilot technology (no Autosteer and active safety features), we recorded one crash for every 1.2 million miles driven. By comparison, NHTSA’s most recent data shows that in the United States there is an automobile crash every 484,000 miles,” explained Tesla.

In Q1, Tesla reported 4.19 million miles driven per crash for Autopilot-engaged EVs, compared to one per 2.05 million miles for those with active safety features, and one per every 978,000 miles without any active safety features.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently told Kara Swisher in an interview the company provides this data freely and is transparent about how Autopilot-engaged drivers are safer than without.

 

The report also comes amidst a wider ongoing investigation by the NHTSA into Tesla’s Autopilot program and a recent series of accidents with parked emergency response vehicles. Alongside sending Tesla an 11-page letter it must respond to before October 22, the NHTSA requested help from 12 other automakers in the investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system.

In an update last month, Tesla added to its manual that Tesla Autopilot will detect emergency vehicles with lights on and slow down at night.