Teslas Are Involved in More Fatal Accidents Than Any Other Brand, Study Finds

Elon Musk has sought to represent Tesla’s vehicles as the “safest cars connected the road.” However, a caller investigation of national information purports to amusement that Musk’s institution really has the highest complaint of engagement with fatal accidents of immoderate car brand.

The analysis, which was put together by automotive hunt motor iSeeCars, cites fatality statistic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to assertion that Tesla has “the highest fatal mishap complaint by brand, followed by Kia, Buick, Dodge, and Hyundai.”

The study further notes: “As with the exemplary rankings, it’s imaginable these precocious fatal mishap rates bespeak operator behaviour arsenic overmuch oregon much than conveyance design.” In different words, Teslas whitethorn not person immoderate peculiar features that marque them much dangerous. It whitethorn beryllium that drivers of Teslas are conscionable much prone to crashing oregon being progressive successful crashes.

“The biggest contributor to occupant information is avoiding a crash, and the biggest origin successful clang avoidance is operator behavior,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars Executive Analyst. “A focused, alert driver, traveling astatine a ineligible oregon prudent speed, without being nether the power of drugs oregon alcohol, is the astir apt to get safely careless of the conveyance they’re driving.”

Gizmodo has not independently verified the findings of the report. We reached retired to Tesla and the NHTSA for comment.

The probe into Tesla’s information issues is ongoing and doesn’t overgarment a peculiarly coherent picture. Indeed, a likewise publicized report published successful August by conveyance past accusation vendor EpicVIN claimed that, of each the car brands, Tesla drivers were least apt to endure fatal injuries. If some that study and the iSeeCars study are to beryllium believed, it would connote that Teslas drivers are astir apt to beryllium progressive successful fatal crashes but slightest apt to beryllium killed successful those crashes. Like iSeeCars, EpicVIN cited information from the NHTSA’s FARs to marque these claims.

A survey published by the car indebtedness and owe elephantine Lending Tree successful December 2023 claimed that Tesla drivers had the highest clang complaint of immoderate brand. The survey cited information from Nov. 14, 2022, done Nov. 14, 2023, claiming that “Tesla drivers had 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers,” portion noting that lone 2 different brands—Ram and Subaru—had “more than 20.00 accidents per 1,000 drivers.”

Tesla’s reliance connected automated bundle has been eyed arsenic a imaginable information issue. A report successful 2022 released by the NHTSA claimed that, successful the preceding twelve-month period, Teslas accounted for immoderate 70 percent of the car crashes that progressive driver-assist systems. Tesla’s driver-assisted function, Autopilot, has often been criticized, with regulators speculating that it whitethorn beryllium playing a relation successful crashes. Indeed, the NHTSA published yet different report this past April that claimed Tesla’s Autopilot relation had a “critical information gap” that could beryllium linked to hundreds of crashes. An analysis conducted by the Washington Post past summertime likewise recovered that Tesla’s Autopilot relation had been progressive successful a full of 17 fatalities and arsenic galore arsenic 736 crashes since 2019. The paper again cited NHTSA statistics.

Tesla is 1 of respective Musk companies that are presently nether probe by national agencies. Both the NHTSA and the Department of Justice are presently investigating the car company. However, Musk’s caller tenure arsenic a national bureaucrat astatine a “government efficiency” “agency” whitethorn complicate galore of those ongoing investigations.