While self-driving vehicles are marketed as safe and convenient, recent data shows that the rate of serious accidents involving these vehicles, specifically Tesla vehicles equipped with the Autopilot feature, are much higher than previously reported.
According to analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), self-driving technology (Autopilot) utilized by Tesla was involved in 736 crashes, including 17 fatalities, since 2019. The NHTSA initially examined at least 956 crashes where Tesla’s Autopilot feature was reported to have been in use, and more than 40 investigations were launched into Tesla crashes that resulted in 23 deaths.
Several accidents involving Tesla’s Autopilot have made headlines in recent years. On September 16, 2024, two adults died when their Tesla lost control coming down a hill on Battle Avenue in White Plains, New York, and crashed into a tree and apartment building before exploding. Three people outside of the Tesla, including a jogger, suffered minor injuries as well. Just the day before, on September 15, 2024, two adults and a 17-year-old were killed when their Tesla Model S ran off the road, hitting a guardrail and concrete bridge support in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey.
In 2023, a 17-year-old student was struck and injured by a speeding Tesla while getting off a school bus. In 2019, a 38-year old father of two was killed when his Tesla, on Autopilot, veered out of its lane and accelerated to more than 70 miles per hour before striking a barrier in Mountain View, California. The family of the decedent, an engineer for Apple, filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit in 2019, which matter settled for an undisclosed amount earlier this year.
Yet another wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla was recently filed in Salt Lake City, Utah, concerning a 2022 crash in which a 34-year-old motorcyclist was struck and killed by a Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot traveling at 75-80 miles per hour.
If you or someone you know suffered a serious injury or death believed to be a result of a self-driving car, please contact the attorneys at Lever & Ecker, PLLC, to discuss what legal options are available and how we can help you and your loved ones seek justice. We at Lever & Ecker, PLLC would welcome the opportunity to help you.
