Nearly 70% of car crashes linked to 'self-driving' in US were Tesla: Report

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has linked 392 crashes to self-driving and driver assistance systems in 10 months and about 70 per cent of those were Elon Musk-owned Tesla vehicles, media reports say.

According to Engadget, the US NHTSA released data on 10 months of crashes between July 1, 2021 to May 15, 2022, involving cars with automated components.

The report mentioned that out of 392 crashes, 273 were Tesla vehicles using Autopilot or the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta. Honda cars were tied to 90 incidents, while Subaru models were involved in 10. Other makes, including Ford, GM, VW and Toyota, had five incidents or less.

Out of the 98 crashes with injury reports, 11 resulted in serious injuries. Five of the Tesla incidents were fatal.

The 130 total crashes for self-driving systems included 108 with other cars and 11 with "vulnerable" road users like cyclists and pedestrians, the report said.

The findings are a response to a Standing General Order requiring that car manufacturers and operators report crashes to the NHTSA when Level 2 or higher autonomy is active at the time of the incident.

The transportation agency hopes the info will support a "more data-driven approach" to safely rolling out self-driving tech, including regulation and education.