Tesla's Robotaxi data confirms crash rate 3x worse than humans even with monitor (electrek.co)

Tesla's robotaxi program faces significant scrutiny following the release of new crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), revealing that its autonomous vehicles are involved in crashes at a rate three times worse than human drivers. Despite having safety monitors in every vehicle to prevent accidents, Tesla's fleet reported nine crashes during a mileage of approximately 500,000 miles in Austin, Texas, resulting in a crash rate of one incident every 55,000 miles compared to an average of one crash every 200,000 to 500,000 miles for human drivers. This disparity raises critical questions about the current readiness of Tesla's autonomous technology for public deployment. The significance of this data extends beyond just safety statistics. Tesla's lack of transparency concerning crash details—where every incident narrative is redacted—contrasts sharply with competitors like Waymo, which provides full incident reports and demonstrates a commitment to accountability in autonomous vehicle operations. This opacity hampers the industry’s ability to assess Tesla’s performance accurately and raises doubts about whether the company can learn from these incidents. In light of these findings, experts argue that Tesla must urgently improve both its safety outcomes and its disclosure practices to be taken seriously in the autonomous vehicle market.