Tesla has the deadliest cars on the road today. According to a new study from iSeeCars, Tesla vehicles have the highest fatal crash rate among all vehicle brands in the United States. The organization analyzed data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
The study, conducted on 2018-2022 model year vehicles, looked at crashes between 2017 and 2022 that resulted in at least one of the occupants’ death. It found that Teslas have a fatal crash rate of 5.6 per billion miles driven. Kia came in second with a rate of 5.5, followed by Buick at 4.8, Dodge at 4.4 and Hyundai at 3.9. For reference, iSeeCars says the overall average was 2.8, meaning the average Tesla crash is twice as deadly as average.
The study looked into more than just automakers, though. It also broke vehicles down by individual model. It still wasn’t pretty for Tesla. The Tesla Model Y had a 10.6 fatal crash rate. That’s nearly five times the average for SUVs, and it was the sixth worth score overall. (The Hyundai Venue, Chevy Corvette, Mitsubishi Mirage, Porsche 911 and Honda CR-V Hybrid were above it). The Model S’s score came in at 5.8, two times the average.
To be fair to Tesla, these numbers don’t automatically mean its cars are unsafe for occupants. It has a lot more to do with how people drive these cars. Karl Brauer, iSeeCars executive analyst, explained why this was happening in the report:
“Most of these vehicles received excellent safety ratings, performing well in crash tests at the IIHS and NHTSA, so it’s not a vehicle design issue. The models on this list likely reflect a combination of driver behavior and driving conditions, leading to increased crashes and fatalities.”
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“A vehicle’s size, weight, and height certainly play a part in its ability to protect passengers in a crash. But the biggest contributor to occupant safety is avoiding a crash, and the biggest factor in crash avoidance is driver behavior. A focused, alert driver, traveling at a legal or prudent speed, without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, is the most likely to arrive safely regardless of the vehicle they’re driving.”
What this tells us is that Tesla’s cars are probably as safe as anyone else’s, but their owners tend to drive like goons, and the result of that is literally killing people.