Tesla defends Autopilot safety standards

ILC ARTICLE

19th January 2024

Tesla has hit back at media reports critical of its Autopilot technology, arguing that many of the articles lacked context.

It said that data proved its cars were far safer when Autopilot was engaged, revealing that just one crash for every 4.85 million miles was recorded under Autopilot in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to one crash for every 1.4 million miles driven without it.

It added that Autopilot features such as Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer are both Level 2 driver-assist systems, meaning that the driver must still retain control of the vehicle at all the times, and Telsa developed a number of measures to ensure that drivers remain engaged, including torque-based and camera-based monitoring.

The company said, “The more automation technology offered to support the driver, the safer the driver and other road users. Autopilot is about 10 times safer than the US average and about five times safer than a Tesla with no Autopilot tech enabled. When used properly, it provides safety benefits on all road classes.”