Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (supervised) software demonstrates superior safety, with users driving about 5 million miles per major collision and 1.5 million miles per minor collision, far exceeding national averages from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Tesla’s safety data highlights a 7x reduction in major crashes compared to U.S. averages.
The report addresses transparency demands from competitors like Waymo amid ongoing criticisms of prior disclosures.
Full Self-Driving users log 2.9 million miles between major incidents, versus 505,000 miles for all drivers per NHTSA statistics.
Discover Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving safety report, revealing crash rates 5-7 times below national averages. Explore data, definitions, and industry calls for transparency in autonomous driving tech today.
What is Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Safety Performance?
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (supervised) software enables advanced driver assistance, and recent data shows it outperforms human drivers in safety metrics. According to the company’s new report, users in North America experience a major collision every 5 million miles and a minor one every 1.5 million miles. This places the technology well ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s national averages of one major crash per 699,000 miles and one minor per 299,000 miles.
How Does Tesla Define Collisions in Its Safety Data?
Tesla’s report marks a significant step in transparency by detailing its methodology for the first time. Major collisions are defined using Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as incidents involving high-impact forces that deploy airbags or other irreversible restraints. If the Full Self-Driving software was engaged within five seconds before a collision, the event is included in the dataset, ensuring comprehensive tracking. For minor collisions, the focus is on lower-impact events without such deployments. This structured approach allows for accurate comparisons with NHTSA benchmarks, where all U.S. drivers average 505,000 miles per any collision and 178,000 miles per minor incident, according to Tesla’s interpretation of the data. The company emphasizes that these figures reflect real-world usage by supervised drivers, highlighting the software’s role in enhancing road safety.
Tesla has long published quarterly vehicle safety reports, but these have faced scrutiny for limited scope, primarily covering the less advanced Autopilot system designed for highway use. Critics argue that Autopilot’s safer environment—highways see fewer crashes than urban roads—skews the data. In contrast, Full Self-Driving operates in diverse conditions, yet the new report shows even stronger performance: 2.9 million miles per major collision and 986,000 miles per minor one. This release comes amid broader industry pressure, particularly from Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, who at a recent conference urged all autonomous vehicle developers to share fleet data openly.
Waymo, a leader in robotaxi services with extensive deployments across the U.S., recently shared its own metrics, claiming its vehicles are five times safer than human drivers overall and twelve times safer regarding pedestrian interactions. Mawakana stressed the ethical imperative of disclosure: “If you’re going to put vehicles on the road, remove the driver, and monitor remotely, transparency is essential to earn public trust and improve safety.” She expressed frustration with opaque competitors, stating, “I don’t know who’s making roads safer because they’re not sharing what’s happening with their fleets.” Tesla’s Robotaxi trials in Austin, Texas, involve safety drivers and have not yet released specific performance data, adding to calls for more details.
The timing of Tesla’s report aligns with these criticisms, providing a dedicated website section for Full Self-Driving data. This move addresses longstanding concerns about insufficient reporting on advanced features. Despite the promising numbers, experts note that Full Self-Driving remains supervised, requiring driver attention, and does not achieve full autonomy as the name might suggest. Ongoing NHTSA investigations into Tesla’s systems underscore the need for rigorous, verifiable data in the evolving field of driver assistance technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Safer Than Average Drivers?
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (supervised) software reduces crash risks through advanced sensors and AI, achieving 5 million miles per major collision versus the NHTSA’s 699,000-mile average. Minor collisions occur every 1.5 million miles, compared to 299,000 nationally. This performance stems from proactive monitoring and real-time decision-making in varied driving scenarios.
Why Has Tesla Faced Criticism Over Its Safety Reports?
Past Tesla reports focused mainly on Autopilot, which operates in lower-risk highway settings, leading to questions about real-world applicability. Critics, including Waymo executives, demand data on advanced systems like Full Self-Driving and unsupervised trials. Greater transparency builds trust and aids the autonomous driving industry’s progress toward safer roads.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced Safety Metrics: Full Self-Driving users drive 5-7 times farther between collisions than the national average, per NHTSA data integration.
- Transparency Push: The report responds to industry calls, defining terms via federal standards for clearer comparisons.
- Industry Implications: Sharing data fosters competition and innovation; monitor Tesla’s Robotaxi updates for unsupervised advancements.
Conclusion
Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving safety report underscores the technology’s potential to surpass human driver performance, with collision rates significantly below National Highway Traffic Safety Administration benchmarks. By addressing definitions and methodologies, the company bolsters transparency amid criticisms from leaders like Waymo. As autonomous systems evolve, continued data sharing will be key to building safer roads—stay informed on these developments for insights into the future of driving.