Stats in support, Tesla proves that its Autopilot is not dangerous

Tesla took advantage of the announcement of the number of fatalities in road accidents in the United States in 2023 to defend its Autopilot.

The statistics are chilling. Despite the constant improvement in active and passive safety in vehicles, the number of road deaths remains stagnant. This is true both in Europe, France, and the United States. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), 40,990 people lost their lives on U.S. roads last year, which is a decrease of 3.6% compared to 2022 (42,514 deaths). However, this figure is significantly higher than the historic low reached in 2014 with “only” 32,744 deaths.

American statistics are well-documented, as lawsuits can cost manufacturers or insurers billions of dollars. Consequently, it was revealed that the American vehicle fleet traveled – hold on to your hats! – 5,251 billion kilometers in 2023, an increase of 67.5 billion kilometers (+2.1%) compared to 2022. Hello, carbon footprint of the planet!

Thus, the statistic reporter is pleased with the decrease in the ratio of deaths per kilometers traveled, which has declined from 1.33 to 1.26 for every 100 million miles (160 million kilometers).

In terms of the total volume of deaths, the NHTSA states that 3,308 were distracted while driving, notably by consulting their smartphone. Additionally, 289,310 were injured for the same reasons. A true scourge that the Autopilot from Tesla aims to correct.

Is the Autopilot a safe driver?

For several months, Tesla has been the target of numerous critiques concerning its Autopilot. It has been accused of being the source of multiple accidents, sometimes fatal. Some users who managed to regain control of their vehicle claim that the speed unexpectedly increased or that abrupt directional changes occurred.

Tesla therefore defends itself at the time of the presentation of the mortality figures on U.S. roads. The California manufacturer asserts that its cars experience an accident on average every 8.67 million kilometers traveled with the Autopilot activated. In contrast, a “human” driver would be involved in an accident every 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) traveled by its cars without the Autopilot. This suggests a safety that is 5.3 times better.

Once this figure is known, if not verified, there is little doubt that humans will quickly lose the right to turn a steering wheel in the coming decades…

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