Ilon Musk and his company Tesla have been trying to position their cars for many years as "the safest cars on the road", offering advanced technologies such as autopilot and help systems to the driver. However, a new analysis of federal data calls into question these statements, indicating that Tesla has the highest deaths among all automotive brands.
According to a study conducted by the ISEECARS Automobile Search System, based on data from the National Road Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla heads the doubtful rating of automobile brands with the highest level of fatal accidents. In second place are Kia, Buick, Dodge and Hyundai brands. These results are part of the report that analyzes the statistics from the fatal reporting system (FARS). The ISEECARS report states that a high level of fatal accidents can be linked not only to the design of cars, but also to drivers' behavior. "The greatest contribution to the safety of passengers is to avoid the accident, and the greatest factor in avoiding the accident is the behavior of the driver," - says Carl Brauer, executive analyst ISEECARS. Drivers who are concentrated, attentive and drive a car at a safe speed reduce the risk of the accident, regardless of the car brand.
However, this analysis is not the only one. There are other studies that offer other conclusions. For example, a report prepared by Epicvin data supplier states that Tesla drivers are least likely to get fatal injuries in the event of an accident, although they get in the accident more often. This casts doubt on the uniqueness of the conclusions about the safety of the brand. In turn, a study published in December 2023 by a giant of auto loan and mortgage Lending Tree shows that Tesla also has the highest level of accident among all brands. During the year, Tesla drivers had more than 23 crashes for every thousand drivers, which is much higher than the rates of brands such as RAM and Subaru.
Tesla's car safety issues are also related to their automated autopilot system. The NHTSA report for 2022 indicates that Tesla was involved in 70% of the accidents that involved the driver's assistance systems. The company's autopilot is often criticized for its potential security problems, and regulators have repeatedly assumed that this system could cause numerous accidents. In particular, the Washington Post report claims that Tesla autopilot has caused 17 deaths and 736 accidents since 2019. TESLA is currently being investigated by the National Road Safety Administration and the US Department of Justice. However, new political changes can complicate the course of these investigations. Ilon Musk, who has recently headed the Government Efficiency Agency, may face additional obstacles under these checks.
This analysis once again emphasizes the importance of the objective approach to the safety of Tesla cars. However, depending on how to interpret the data, you can get different conclusions about the safety of this brand.
