As technology advances, the question arises: should humans be allowed to drive in the future or will artificial intelligence take over? Will only autonomous driving be possible? Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD) software promises to provide a safer driving experience. However, the company has just released its accident statistics that support this claim. But what do these numbers mean, and what does the future hold for human drivers?
Tesla has always been at the forefront of innovation in the automotive industry and its autonomous driving software – FSD Beta is no exception. By enabling the car to assist the driver in urban driving – or in a way to drive completely by itself, the technology reduces the likelihood and severity of traffic accidents. According to Tesla's accident statistics, cars with FSD Beta enabled had an airbag deployment accident every 3.2 million miles, while the US average, based on the latest police statistics, is an airbag deployment accident every 600,000 miles.
If Tesla's stats are to be believed, FSD is currently in Beta about five times safer than a human driver without technology. Although these two may never be compared to 100% accuracy, it is clear that driving with artificial intelligence has the potential to reduce the number of accidents and their severity. Additionally, with more people, access to electric vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems like FSD Beta could reduced the number of traffic accidents and vehicle-related fatalities.
Enabling autonomy will increase the utilization rate of our vehicles, which means more people have access to EVs
FSD Beta has been released to nearly all customers in the US & Canada who bought FSD (approximately 400k)
— Tesla (@Tesla) March 1, 2023
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety encourages advanced driver assistance systems and awards higher ratings to vehicles that have certain safety technologies as standard, provided they perform as advertised. Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y are both award winners IIHS Top Safety Pick+, as they received the highest rating of "Superior" for their accident prevention and mitigation systems. The test cars only used autopilot, since FSD Beta costs extra, which suggests that the technology is even more advanced.
However, some skeptics argue that the numbers are incorrect, as Autopilot miles are accrued on the highway where it occurs fewer accidents. There are no intersections, traffic or obstacles in the same sense as on city roads. We need more information, possibly from a third party, to better understand the overall security impact of FSD Beta.
What does the future hold for human drivers? Elon Musk often noted that if more cars had technology like Autopilot or FSD Beta, there would be fewer traffic accidents and fatalities, related to vehicles. As AI driving becomes more advanced, it's possible they will human drivers phased out or at least limited to specific situations. However, there will likely be resistance from those who enjoy the freedom and independence of driving alone.
People told me my Tesla would never be able to handle unprotected left turns like the one below. Now FSD Beta does it routinely, like it's nothing. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/EonMX3T0vX
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) February 27, 2023
Although there is still debate and uncertainty about the future of driving, it is clear that AI driving technology is making the roads safer. Tesla FSD Beta crash statistics are impressive and show that the technology is reducing the number and severity of crashes. It remains to be seen how quickly and to what extent artificial intelligence driving will replace human drivers, but it is a trend worth watching.
