Tesla Autopilot Crashes More Than Humans

2016 Tesla Model S (Credit: Tesla Motors)

Every time there’s a crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot and the media covers it, fans of the brand and even people in the company get upset. They argue that the technology is safer than human drivers, but it turns out they might be dead wrong.

Of all media outlets to call out Tesla on its claims, David Noland of Green Car Reports has stepped up and crunched the numbers. He starts off by citing statisticians who say Tesla’s numbers and comparisons with traffic fatalities in the United States are downright misleading. That kind of misinformation could be giving Tesla owners a false sense of security, which is dangerous.

After comparing the Teslas with Autopilot to the ones without, Noland concluded that the fatality rate for Teslas with Autopilot is twice the rate for Teslas being driven solely by humans. Sure, his methods aren’t statistically sound, but he points out Tesla’s claims of extreme safety aren’t either.

This information should make Tesla owners stop and consider how they use Autopilot. We don’t know how safe the technology actually is. At least not until it becomes more common as the Model 3 rolls out.