Tesla has released their quarterly Vehicle Safety Report, and while the Q4 2020 numbers are the lowest for the year, the statistics show Autopilot is still much safer than human drivers.
According to the latest figures from Tesla, there is one accident every 3.45 million miles (5.55 million kms) driven while Autopilot is engaged. This was the lowest number in the four quarters of 2020. Q1 was the best quarter with one accident every 4.68 million miles (7.53 million kms).
Despite the relatively low figure, it is still orders of magnitude safer than when compared to vehicles without Autopilot. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports one accident for every 484,000 miles (778,000kms) driven.
| Q1 2020 | Q2 2020 | Q3 2020 | Q4 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla (with Autopilot engaged) | 4,680,000 mi | 4,530,000 mi | 4,590,000 mi | 3,450,000 mi |
| NHTSA | 479,000 mi | 479,000 mi | 479,000 mi | 484,000 mi |
Other figures provided by the automaker:
- Without Autopilot but with active safety features: 1 accident every 2.05 million miles (3.29 million kms)
- Without Autopilot and without active safety features: 1 accident every 1.27 million miles (2.04 million kms)
Not only does Autopilot and the other active Tesla safety features make for fewer accidents, the chances for injury when one occurs are also the lowest in Tesla vehicles.
This week the Model Y achieved a perfect 5-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, joining the Model S, 3, and X as being among the safest cars on the road. During testing, the Model Y rollover risk was estimated to be just 7.9%, the lowest of any SUV ever tested.
