According to a Tesla report, drivers in Michigan and around the country who use its Autopilot feature are involved in fewer accidents than the general public. They are also in fewer accidents than those who drive a Tesla vehicle but don’t use the Autopilot feature. However, there are few details to back the claim that the company is making. For example, the feature is only meant to be used on freeways or in other limited driving scenarios.
Therefore, it is impossible to determine if some drivers didn’t turn on Autopilot because they weren’t in the right environment to do so. The report also stated that there was one crash or crash-like event per 3.34 million miles driven between June and September 2018. However, the company was vague when defining this term. There were also concerns that the report didn’t indicate how many people were hurt or how the accidents happened.
There was also no indication as to how severe any accident injuries were. According to the company’s founder and CEO, driving in an autonomous vehicle is safer than driving in one operated by a human only. He has criticized the media for its coverage of Tesla. He claims that cars driven without autonomous features are more dangerous overall. According to a representative from the NHTSA, the report was merely a couple of data points without any context.
If a car crash is caused by a reckless driver, that individual may be held financially responsible for the injuries incurred by occupants of other vehicles. The damages could include medical expenses and lost wages. Injured victims might want to have a lawyer’s assistance when seeking these and other amounts.