Teslarati 
Tesla regularly releases vehicle safety reports featuring the safety statistics of its Autopilot system compared to the US average. Despite this, Tesla skeptics have mostly scoffed at the company’s figures, with many arguing that the number is not that accurate since Autopilot and its most advanced features like Navigate on Autopilot and automatic lane changes are mostly used on highways.
Tesla skeptics have argued that inner city streets are a completely different animal since it involves a lot more uncertainties compared to highways. During the recently-held Investor Day event, however, Tesla shared FSD Beta’s safety statistics over the past 12 months. And so far, they are quite impressive.
As per the company, a Tesla with FSD Beta engaged experienced an airbag-deployed crash about every 3.2 million miles in the last 12 months. This makes the system about five times safer than the most recently available US average of 600,000 miles per police-reported crash. It should be noted that FSD Beta specifically works for inner-city streets, which involve tons of edge cases and unpredictable driving behaviors from other vehicles.
Inasmuch as FSD Beta is about five times safer than the most recently available US average, the system’s safety stats are not as impressive as Autopilot’s recent results. As per Tesla’s Vehicle Safety Report for Q3 2022, the company reported one crash for every 6.26 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot. Teslas operating with FSD Beta seem to be safer than cars not using Autopilot, however, as such vehicles recorded one crash for every 1.71 million miles driven.
While FSD will likely remain one of Tesla’s most controversial innovations, its adoption is increasing at a steady pace. As per updates from the electric vehicle maker during Investor Day, FSD and Autopilot are still critical components of Tesla’s overall plan, as the systems would increase the utilization rate of the company’s vehicles. Tesla also noted that FSD Beta had been released to almost all customers in the US and Canada who purchased FSD, which translates to about 400,000 owners.
