Tesla’s Autopilot Safety Stats Lead the Pack, But Devil’s in the Details
In the autonomous driving race, Tesla’s Autopilot system is generating significant buzz with its impressive safety record. Bloomberg Intelligence data shows Tesla recording just 0.15 accidents per million miles, substantially outperforming both Waymo (1.16) and the US national average for human drivers (3.90). However, before declaring Tesla the undisputed champion of self-driving safety, it’s worth examining the finer details.
The Tesla-Waymo comparison isn’t quite fair. Tesla’s figures only include crashes that occurred while Autopilot was actively engaged, whereas Waymo’s data encompasses a wider spectrum of incidents, including airbag deployments and police-reported events. This disparity in reporting methodology could artificially inflate Waymo’s accident rate. Additionally, Tesla’s crash rates in non-Autopilot mode are higher, and their Q3 2024 report claims an even more impressive statistic of just one crash per 7.08 million miles with Autopilot engaged – painting an even more favourable picture than what the chart indicates.
While both autonomous systems appear safer than human drivers, the absence of standardised metrics makes direct comparisons problematic. As we venture further into the self-driving future, more transparent and uniform reporting standards are clearly needed. For now, these statistics offer an enticing glimpse of potentially safer autonomous mobility, but we should approach the data cautiously and remain vigilant about the road ahead.
