Create a free Industrial Equipment News account to continue

Tesla Releases First Quarterly Safety Report

The company is reporting accident rates far below the U.S. average, especially when Autopilot is engaged.

In this Oct. 24, 2016, file photo, palm trees are reflected on the hood of a Tesla Model S on display in downtown Los Angeles. Tesla says it recorded one accident for every 3.34 million miles driven when the autopilot was engaged. That number of per-mile accidents rises to 1.92 million when autopilot is not on.
In this Oct. 24, 2016, file photo, palm trees are reflected on the hood of a Tesla Model S on display in downtown Los Angeles. Tesla says it recorded one accident for every 3.34 million miles driven when the autopilot was engaged. That number of per-mile accidents rises to 1.92 million when autopilot is not on.
AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla says it recorded one accident for every 3.34 million miles driven in the third quarter when the autopilot was engaged on its vehicles.

That rises to one in 1.92 million when autopilot is not on.

It's the first quarterly autopilot safety report released by Tesla. The accident rates fall far below the U.S. average.

The most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows one auto crash for every 492,000 miles driven in the U.S.

The one-page report did not include any details on the collisions but follows some crashes that were highly publicized, just because there is so much interest in the cars and their autonomous systems, as well as the company's eccentric CEO, Elon Musk.

Tesla says it's now going to start publicly releasing accident data every quarter.

More in Safety