Tesla Autopilot’s Dark Reality: 736 Crashes, 17 Deaths

Tesla Autopilot’s Safety: New Data Shows Inaccurate Estimates

It appears that the Tesla Autopilot, viewed as a hallmark of the automaker going far beyond what is typical on the market today, may be connected to an altitude of automobile accidents not previously reported. According to recently released figures, in the United States alone, the Autopilot has been recorded as playing a role in 736 mishaps since 2019. Shockingly, 17 of these cases resulted in fatalities; moreover, since 2022, 11 fatalities have been linked to this function.

The astounding outcomes were made evident in the Washington Post survey of the National Highway Traffic Security Administration’s (NHTSA) details. In spite of the fact that the information does not highlight the number of mishaps Tesla’s driver assistance frameworks may have prevented, the most recent crash results demonstrate potential pitfalls of self-governing driving, at any rate in its present advancement stage.

The report suggests that the increasing number of accidents may be consequent to Teslas dropping their utilization of radar/Radio Detection and Ranging. At the beginning of this year, the trademark stated that it would depend solely on camera-based vision processing. Each Tesla features 8 out-facing cameras with the purpose of mapping the environment.

As of late, there has been an upsurge in accidents causing numerous investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to take place. Regardless, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has emphatically communicated the advantages associated with Autopilot.

Although the NHTSA facts fails to portray the precise crash information, many of the involved cases remain unidentified as to whether or not owners had the Autopilot or FSD activated. According to estimations, around 800,000 Teslas operate on American highways and motorways, already fitted with Autopilot; and Tesla [proceeds] continues to progress for further progress as well as a huge rollout.

Every Tesla comes with standard Autopilot capabilities, including the adaptation of a cruise control system, which enables the car to comply with the speed of traffic in front and react depending on the conditions. Alongside this, standard components include an Auto Steer that assists in guiding the vehicle when travelling down obviously discernible lanes.

In addition to that, Teslas come with the option of featuring Enhanced Autopilot abilities; these systems give the vehicles the capability to voyage roads on their own, as well as change lanes automatically. Furthermore, purchasers can opt for the Full-Self Driving kit, which will allow the car to make autonomous choices based on readings from traffic signs.

Tesla declares on its website that the mentioned characteristics do not make their automobiles completely autonomous. Despite this, they provide drivers with added convenience and safety functions.

In February of 2023, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) declared that Tesla would be conducting a recall of 360,000 cars that consisted of the FSD beta due to an increased accident danger. Despite there being various statements regarding the Autopilot’s proficiency, Tesla’s Vehicle Safety report from the fourth quarter of 2022 indicated that 35 percent of all accidents involving the Autopilot happened when the automobile was hit at the back by another car. Likewise, according to Tesla, an Alpha-Pilot incident occurs once in every 4.8 million miles driven.

Currently, until Tesla makes public the information it has, confirming its assertions would be unattainable. At present, the NHTSA data shows that in the majority of the 807 crashes involving autopilot since 2021 have been cars belonging to Tesla.

What are your sentiments on autonomous driving? Should Tesla’s system include a conjunction of other technologies like lidar and radar, apart from exclusively relying on cameras? Sound off in the feedback section.