If Tesla’s big autonomous driving flex wasn’t already apparent, the company just went ahead and rubbed some more salt in the wound. Elon Musk’s EV juggernaut dropped fresh new Autopilot safety data in Q1 2024, and the stats on its driver-assist Autopilot system are simply mind-blowing.
We’re talking one crash for every 7.63 million miles driven while Autopilot was engaged. That utterly destroys Tesla’s previous best safety milestone and represents a staggering 16% improvement over last year’s record numbers. Maybe more importantly, it absolutely decimates the national crash rate of one wreck every 670,000 miles according to the latest federal data.
Sure, these rosy safety claims always spark the usual heated debates around Autopilot’s capabilities and limitations. And yes, advanced driver-assist tech still can’t fully replace an attentive human behind the wheel. But folks, the numbers here don’t lie: Autopilot is seemingly helping Tesla drivers stay exponentially safer on the roads compared to the national averages.
Of course, the usual Tesla caveats apply. The stats only cover Q1, and different conditions or regions could see different results. Tesla also doesn’t provide full transparency into its data collection and modeling methodologies. But at face value, a safety advantage this massive is impossible to ignore.
Gearing Up for the FSD Showdown
The timing of this Autopilot data drop is pretty conspicuous too. It lands just as Tesla is preparing to roll out its latest “fully autonomous driving” (FSD) capabilities to more owners after years of delays and setbacks. By flaunting these eye-popping safety wins on Autopilot first, Tesla’s clearly trying to bolster confidence ahead of unleashing its far more advanced (and controversial) FSD tech on public roads.
Will FSD live up to the hype and prove even safer than basic Autopilot capabilities? Or will the system’s limitations and inevitable growing pains spark a new backlash over the risks of beta-testing robocar tech around unwitting human drivers? (Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Leaves Humans in the Dust),the battle lines are being drawn.
One thing’s for sure: as Tesla sets the stage for its robotic driving ambitions, it’s pulling no punches when it comes to pounding the safety drum. Whether you love or loathe Autopilot, this latest data drop is Elon’s way of reminding the world that full self-driving may be a lofty goal – but the tech is already crushing human driving abilities on some core safety metrics.
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