Tesla’s Autopilot system has been involved in more accidents than expected, with the number of such incidents increasing sharply over the past year. Part of this can be attributed to Tesla’s expansion in the number of vehicles with Full Self-Driving on the road and the company’s reliance on camera-based detection rather than radar. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows at least 17 fatal incidents, 11 of which occurred since May 2022. Four of these involved motorcycles, while another involved an emergency vehicle.
Although the NHTSA is investigating incidents involving autopilot, including fully automated driving, the agency argues that a report of a driver-assistance crash doesn’t mean the technology is at fault. Further, all current driver assistance systems need to be monitored by drivers. Nevertheless, there are a few incidents where it is unknown if the autopilot was active during the accident, including three fatalities.
The rise in Tesla accidents is worrying, stated Missy Cummings, once the chief safety adviser to NHTSA. She added that Tesla’s autopilot has more serious and fatal accidents than humans with a normal data set. One probable cause is the introduction of Full Self-Driving, which has been expanded over the past year and a half to feature semi-autonomous driving in city and residential streets. Car manufacturers in the US have been required to disclose accidents involving driver assistance systems to the authorities since 2021. However, the data shows that the majority of the 807 automation-related accidents reported since the introduction of the requirements have involved Tesla.
