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Analysis: Tesla Leads Market in Fatal Accidents

Drivers could be the problem, report concedes
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 22, 2024 4:30 PM CST
Tesla Tops the Market in Fatal Crashes, Analysis Shows
The Tesla Cybercab is displayed at the AutoMobility LA auto show in Los Angeles, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Other reviews of the data have reached conflicting conclusions, but a new analysis shows that Tesla vehicles are involved in fatal accidents at a higher rate than any other make. The automotive search engine iSeeCars looked at statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Gizmodo reports. "Teslas are the safest cars on the road, but most people don't know that," Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted last year on X, per Rolling Stone. The iSeeCars analysis doesn't rule that out. "It's possible these high fatal accident rates reflect driver behavior as much or more than vehicle design," the report says, adding, "It may be that drivers of Teslas are just more prone to crashing or being involved in crashes."

Kia, Buick, Dodge, and Hyundai followed Tesla on the list. A study by Lending Tree last year found that drivers of Teslas had the highest crash rate of any brand. And Tesla's self-driving system has come under scrutiny, including by the NHTSA, most recently after a pedestrian was killed. The agency is still investigating Tesla safety. Other findings have muddied the picture on fatal accidents. EpicVIN published a report in August saying that Tesla drivers were least likely to suffer fatal injuries. If the findings of EpicVIN and iSeeCars are accurate, Gizmodo points out, it could mean that Tesla drivers are most likely to be involved in fatal crashes but the least likely to be killed in them. (More Tesla stories.)

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