In general, it is a good idea to look for studies that are not *by* the manufacturer and/or *funded* by the manufacturer. This applies to not just this conversation, but pharmaceuticals, and anything else.
Independent studies have not shown the same thing Tesla has, and that is generally easier to trust since Tesla is, without question, biased.
In particular, Tesla’s reporting is not statistically sound, and doesn’t account for a myriad of biasing / confounding factors, and doesn’t use the same definitions for “crashes” as the rest of the world. See this analysis for some examples:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradte...y-misleading-story-with-their-crash-data/amp/
Careful making absolute statements like this; they’re appealing because they make the world simpler, but are rarely correct.
For example, the fact that ADAS pulls you into an off-ramp can absolutely make you less safe, because instead of only focusing on steering, you are now having to fight the steering to ensure it stays where you want it to, rather than simply keeping it there as is. If, in that moment, you happen to not notice it pulling (even if you’re paying attention) that would make it more dangerous than simply going straight.
As another example, Tesla still has occasional phantom braking problems - less than before, but they happen (again, I know because it happened to me twice with my M3 rental). When that occurs, that is definitionally making you less safe.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t other safety benefits it provides. But it is certainly not true that there is “no way ADAS can make you less safe.” In general, it would be worth watching for blanket statements like this in these discussions.
What you
actually mean is that there is no way ADAS can make you less safe
if it is working perfectly all the time. But as we know, it doesn’t work perfectly, and definitely not all the time.
Also, you don’t have to “close your eyes” to be less safe with ADAS - you just have to be human, as it’s human nature to pay less attention to the road when ADAS is on. See this study:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457521003791
Anyway, my point isn’t to say that Autopilot sucks. It’s “fine,” in the same way that any other ADAS system is “fine.” They all have different issues.
FSD, on the other hand, is dangerous - though I have not tried v12, which may be better (the jury is obviously out).
My Model 3 rental did the same, about 6 months ago - it was aggressive about it. The Air is less aggressive about it, and only if I don’t have my hands on the wheel.
But my wife’s Ioniq 5 does not do it, most of the time. Still does about 10-20% of the time though.
They’re all works in progress.
