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Tesla has the highest fatal accident rate of all auto brands, study finds

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307 points MBCook | 10 comments | 15 Nov 24 20:15 UTC | HN request time: 0.821s | source | bottom
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legitster ◴[15 Nov 24 20:46 UTC] No.42150811[source]▶
In a big picture, this makes sense. You can load the cars with safety features, but it doesn't change the fact that these cars are very heavy, very fast, and loaded with features that reward distracted driving. In the US at least, the top killer of drivers are trees on the side of the road.
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1. SoftTalker ◴[15 Nov 24 21:33 UTC] No.42151373[source]▶
What makes sense to me is the top 3 cars:

Tesla - autopilot that really isn't, gets fooled in many situations, driver lulled into not paying attention, can't react quickly enough when the computer bails, and ends up driving into a bridge abutment at 75mph.

Kia - cheap cars built to minimum safety standards driven by young people who aren't very experienced drivers.

Buick - cars driven by geriatrics whose declines in vision and reaction speed probably should have resulted in their licenses being revoked five years ago but who still insist on driving themselves.

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2. vikingerik ◴[15 Nov 24 22:19 UTC] No.42151874[source]▶
I'd also venture that the profile of Tesla drivers is also a factor along with those other two brands. I'd be pretty sure that Tesla owners collectively drive more aggressively than the average car on the road. Teslas aren't being driven by soccer moms and careful grandmas.
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3. aziaziazi ◴[15 Nov 24 23:37 UTC] No.42152567[source]▶
Does the insurance cost vary between two cars almost identical in every relevant points but the brand? Not a rhetorical question.
4. duderific ◴[15 Nov 24 23:47 UTC] No.42152652[source]▶
Lots of soccer moms driving Teslas in the Bay Area. Know several myself.
5. buffington ◴[16 Nov 24 00:33 UTC] No.42152995[source]▶
Where I live, I'd estimate that a third of the passenger cars are Teslas. No data to back that up, but that's what I tend to see day to day. The diversity of drivers is significant enough to suggest that "all kinds of people" drive Teslas.
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6. LUmBULtERA ◴[16 Nov 24 01:15 UTC] No.42153293[source]▶
Model Y are driven by tons and tons of “soccer moms” and dads. Probably the most common car now per capita, at least in my area.
7. not_a_bot_4sho ◴[16 Nov 24 02:50 UTC] No.42153704[source]▶
This runs completely opposite of my observations. Especially with Model Ys, which seem to be driven exclusively by parents. (Call them "soccer moms" if you want.)
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8. SoftTalker ◴[16 Nov 24 03:18 UTC] No.42153843{3}[source]▶
A third? Wow. Where I am they are not exactly rare but uncommon enough that I still notice them when I see them. I see a few a week I'd guess. Pre-pandemic I knew one person who owned a Tesla. And now... I know two people who own a Tesla, but one of them lives in another country.
9. incognition ◴[16 Nov 24 04:47 UTC] No.42154358{3}[source]▶
Soccer moms are aggressive man. Don’t know where you are. One wrapped hers around a tree here tho
10. bsder ◴[21 Nov 24 22:17 UTC] No.42209263[source]▶
> Buick - cars driven by geriatrics whose declines in vision and reaction speed probably should have resulted in their licenses being revoked five years ago but who still insist on driving themselves.

It takes until 85+ years old to match the accident frequency of the 16-25 years old cohort. Should we ban young adults from driving?

The reality is that the drivers tests should be MUCH more stringent for all cohorts. The reality is also that not having a car in the US is a horrible handicap.

So, we are stuck in a very suboptimal spot until self-driving cars come online.