Are Teslas dangerous?
And some results are surprising to say the least. Thus, we discover that Tesla has the highest average fatal accident rate, ahead of Kia, Buick, Dodge and Hyundai. The Tesla Model Y, Europe’s best-selling model last year, has a fatality rate 3.7 times higher than the average, with 10.6 killed on board per billion kilometers traveled. However, the SUV only occupies sixth place in this sad ranking, behind the Hyundai Venue, the Chevrolet Corvette, the Mitsubishi Mirage, the Porsche 911 and the Honda CR-V Hybrid. However, with the Tesla Model S in 21st place in this same ranking, the average based on mileage makes Tesla the holder of this unenviable “title”.
Is it the drivers’ fault or the Autopilot?
In view of the results, “it is possible that these high rates of fatal accidents reflect the behavior of drivers as much, or even more, than the design of the vehicles” specifies the investigation. In particular, Autopilot, the semi-autonomous driving system of the American brand which has already been the subject of several investigations by the American authorities. In the present case, it could be the misuse of this device, which many drivers do not hesitate to divert to let it manage the entire driving process, which is at fault. Because iSeeCars nevertheless specifies that automobile safety has considerably improved over the last two decades. “But according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the rate of crashes and fatalities on U.S. roads has been higher in the past five years than in the previous twelve years.”
