Tesla has published its latest Vehicle Safety Report, now including data from the first quarter of 2024.
According to the report, Tesla recorded one crash for every 7.63 million miles driven by drivers using Autopilot technology. For drivers not using Autopilot, there was one crash for every 955,000 miles driven.
By comparison, the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) from 2022 shows an automobile crash approximately every 670,000 miles in the United States.
The Tesla Vehicle Safety Report underscores the company’s commitment to enhancing vehicle safety through technology. Tesla vehicles, including the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y, are engineered to be among the safest cars on the road.
This is attributed to their combination of passive safety, active safety, and automated driver assistance features. The battery pack’s rigid structure, large crumple zones, and low center of gravity contribute significantly to the vehicles’ safety. In the rare event of a fire, the battery pack is designed to isolate the fire to select areas and vent heat away from the passenger cabin.
Tesla emphasizes that while no car can prevent all accidents, its continuous efforts aim to make accidents much less likely. All Tesla vehicles produced after September 2014 come standard with active safety features, providing an additional layer of safety beyond the physical structure of the car. Tesla uses data from over 9 billion miles driven with Autopilot engaged to understand how accidents happen and develop features to mitigate or avoid them. These features and enhancements are delivered through over-the-air software updates.
Since October 2018, Tesla has voluntarily released quarterly safety data to provide critical information about their vehicles to the public. In July 2019, they also began releasing annual data on vehicle fires. The company notes that accident rates can vary due to factors such as reduced daylight and inclement weather conditions.
Tesla’s ongoing commitment to safety is reflected in its continuous use of real-world data to improve its vehicles’ safety features, aiming to protect not just Tesla drivers and passengers, but all road users.
