Tesla Has the Highest Accident Rate in the United States

Bad cars or bad drivers? Impossible to answer this question, but unfortunately for Tesla, the numbers are stubborn.

According to a study by the very reputable organization LendingTree covering the period from November 2022 to November 20233, Tesla drivers are involved in more accidents than drivers of any other brand. Tesla drivers have a ratio of 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers, ahead of the well-American Ram (22.76) and Subaru (20.90). These three brands are the only ones to exceed 20 accidents per 1,000 drivers. Regarding Ram, it’s not surprising since the brand offers increasingly powerful pickups. Too much power on a rustic, lifted chassis, and trouble is bound to happen.

It’s more surprising for Subaru, which has built a reputation for quality, notably thanks to its all-wheel-drive systems, a technology it masters perfectly. It would be interesting to see which vehicles are involved, knowing that Subaru uses many “cousin” platforms, especially from Toyota and…Daihatsu. The latter has recently been found guilty of falsifying the results of thousands of crash tests for over 30 years.

But of course, like in any competition, whether glorious or not, history only remembers the winner’s name. These figures inevitably raise some questions, especially at the moment when Tesla is forced to recall nearly all its production in China for a software update, totaling 1.6 million vehicles!

The culprit, again and always, is that cursed Autopilot, which has already triggered multiple recall waves worldwide, involving nearly 2 million cars. Elon Musk has long envisioned fully autonomous vehicles and has pushed the boundaries of this technology. Too far, too fast, too aggressively? The question is naturally posed. Indeed, Autopilot still cannot fully take over, allowing the person in the driver’s seat to read a book or take a nap. The driver must be ready to intervene in case of issues that the system cannot handle.

And it is probably on this last point that the cause of these alarming figures lies. Over-claiming that a Tesla can be completely autonomous likely disempowers drivers.

It is therefore impossible to claim that Tesla cars are inherently dangerous, and honestly, it is absolutely certain that they are remarkable vehicles. So, is the fault with their drivers? Indirectly, surely, because anyone behind the wheel must be aware of the risks on the road. A moment of inattentiveness caused by Autopilot or simply the temptation to check if 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in less than 4 seconds on every start could lead to disaster.