Tesla's Autopilot Caused 17 Deaths And 736 Serious Collisions

The Autopilot mode is standard in all Tesla models, but a Washington Post analysis of NHTSA data suggests the feature may be more dangerous than the company claims.

According to the data, Tesla's Autopilot has been linked to 736 crashes since 2019, killing at least 17 people and seriously injuring five others. Four of the fatalities involved motorcycles.

Less than a year later, the most recent figures indicate 17 fatalities, 11 of which occurred since May 2022. According to the Post, the increase in the number of crashes coincided with the rapid expansion of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" software from around 12,000 vehicles to nearly 400,000 in about a year.

For the record, Tesla recalled more than 360,000 vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving in February, citing concerns that the software caused the vehicles to disregard traffic lights, stop signs, and speed limits.

Since 2021, the NHTSA has been collecting detailed data on crashes involving driver-assistance technology. In this data set, almost all of the 807 automation-related crashes involved a Tesla vehicle. Subaru finished second with 23 points. According to the Post, four of the 17 Tesla-related fatalities involved motorcycles, and one involved an emergency vehicle.

In April 2021, the NHTSA requested information from Tesla not only about Autopilot but also "regarding recent crashes involving emergency services vehicles and incidents involving inattentive drivers."

Concerns remained about Autopilot's ability to see and react to stopped emergency vehicles, and on August 18, 2022, the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) informed Tesla that its investigation had been upgraded from a Preliminary Evaluation to an Engineering Analysis. The investigation into the 2014-2022 Tesla Model Y, Model X, Model S, and Model 3 vehicles is still ongoing, and an estimated 830,000 vehicles are involved.

The Post also spoke with experts who believe the recent increase in Autopilot-related crashes is the result of changes made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, such as the removal of radar sensors from new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in 2021 and the Model S and Model X in 2022. Elon Musk and Tesla did not respond to the Post's request for comment.

Source: The Washington post, CarAndDriver, The Post