Tesla linked to 70 per cent car crashes involving self-driving in US: Report

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has attributed 392 crashes to self-driving and driver assistance technologies in the last ten months, with nearly 70% of those being Tesla vehicles owned by Elon Musk, based on media reports. According to Engadget, the US NHTSA provided statistics on 10 months of crashes involving cars with automated components that occurred between July 1, 2021, and May 15, 2022. 

The report mentioned that out of 392 crashes, 273 were Tesla vehicles using Autopilot or the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta. Honda cars were tied to 90 incidents, while Subaru models were involved in 10. Other makes, including Ford, GM, VW and Toyota, had five incidents or less.

Out of the 98 crashes with injury reports, 11 resulted in serious injuries. Five of the Tesla incidents were fatal. The 130 total crashes for self-driving systems included 108 with other cars and 11 with "vulnerable" road users like cyclists and pedestrians, the report said.

Also read: Tesla increase prices of its Model Y electric cars for the US market

The findings are a response to a Standing General Order requiring that car manufacturers and operators report crashes to the NHTSA when Level 2 or higher autonomy is active at the time of the incident.

The transportation agency hopes the info will support a "more data-driven approach" to safely rolling out self-driving tech, including regulation and education.

With inputs from IANS