According to data released by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) Autopilot software has been involved in 17 fatalities and 736 crashes since 2019.
According to the NHTSA, Tesla officially defines Autopilot as a "SAE Level 2 driving automation system intended to assist and support the driver in executing the driving task." It's important to note that Autopilot is not an autonomous driving technology. However, recent statistics indicate that some individuals are mistakenly treating it as such, leading to unfortunate and tragic incidents.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently stated in an interview with the Associated Press that he believes the name is misleading. "I don't think that something should be called, for example, an Autopilot, when the fine print says you need to have your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times," he said.
The NHTSA last released data on fatalities connected to Autopilot in June of 2022. The previous report only linked three deaths to the technology. Less than a year later, the most recent numbers suggest 17 fatalities, with 11 of them happening since May 2022.
According to The Post, the rise in the number of accidents coincided with the swift expansion of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" software. In approximately a year, the software went from being installed in roughly 12,000 vehicles to nearly 400,000. Tesla highlighted this growth as a significant achievement in their 2022 fourth-quarter Quarterly Update, referring to it as “an important milestone for the company.” They further stated that “Every customer in the U.S. and Canada can now access FSD Beta functionality upon purchase or subscription and start experiencing the evolution of AI-powered autonomy."
NHTSA has been collecting detailed data on crashes involving driver-assistance technology since 2021. Almost all of the 807 automation-related crashes in this data set involved a Tesla vehicle. Subaru (OTC:FUJHY) came in second with 23.
"NHTSA has an active investigation into Tesla Autopilot, including Full Self-Driving," spokesperson Veronica Morales told the reporters, declining to comment further on the ongoing investigation. "NHTSA reminds the public that all advanced driver-assistance systems require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times. Accordingly, all state laws hold the human driver responsible for the operation of their vehicles."
Shares of TSLA are up 3.26% near end-of-day trading on Tuesday.