EBN- A US study has shown that Tesla cars are more likely to be involved in fatal collisions than any other cars on US roads.
The study, conducted by researchers at used car platform IC Cars, reviewed car accident statistics in the United States from 2017 to 2022, focusing on accidents that resulted in the death of at least one person.
The researchers analyzed data available on the US Fatal Accident Report Analysis System and created a quantitative classification for all cars and brands.
The analysis revealed that Tesla had the highest fatal accident rate of all car brands in the United States, followed by Kia, Buick, Dodge, and Hyundai.
The study’s authors pointed out that Tesla cars, with their advanced driving technology, are safe cars, but their owners are not safe passengers.
“Most cars have excellent safety ratings and perform well in NHTSA and IIHS crash tests, so the problem is not the design of the car,” said Karl Brauer, an analyst at ICARs.
“The patterns in this list reflect a combination of driver behaviour and driving conditions, and have increased the likelihood of accidents and fatalities,” he added.
Tesla’s reputation for software-assisted driving and safety systems has been damaged by hundreds of accidents in which its driver-assistance feature, known as Autopilot, was activated, a separate US federal investigation published in April documented.
Researchers at ICARs noted that Tesla’s fatal crash rate was 5.6 per billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) driven, which translates to one death in a car crash every 178 million kilometers driven by Tesla electric vehicles. Kia came in second with 5.5 fatal crashes per billion miles, followed by Buick with 4.8 fatal crashes per billion miles, Dodge with 4.4 fatal crashes and Hyundai with 3.9 fatal crashes per billion miles.
