Tesla has claimed that their vehicles are least risky and one of the safest on the road that are fitted with newer safety features and hold better ratings in crash testing. Recently there have been reports and legal cases that call into doubt these claims.
Organizations such as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have given high crash ratings to Tesla cars but one has to wonder if such cars are road safe after some incidents in real life. The presence of such lawsuits and media attention on accidents regarding the model and instances of unintended acceleration on autopilot mode has stirred a regulatory concern.
Tesla’s autopilot that provides partially self-driving features of the car attracted much attention from the audience as well. Although Tesla repeatedly reminds customers that the autopilot model requires active participation and continuous supervision, there are cases of its likely failures or the driver’s confusion about what is happening on the road.
At the same time, Tesla has been criticized about battery safety in case of fire or even a battery thermal event. It has been a common knowledge that lithium-ion batteries do not pose a threat if handled with high precaution but many Tesla vehicles have been reported to catch fire after being involved in an accident or the battery overheating.
However, with such reservations about its safety and concerns over the current state of the autopilot system, the company remains eager to introduce novel technologies into its vehicles and adjust the already existing autopilot functionality. The company retains its dedication to the safety of vehicles and to remedy the risk factors involved in them.
In short, no one can truly guarantee the safety of Tesla cars or any other cars to the driver or passengers as safety is a combination of several factors, ranging from the car model to manufacturing, maintenance, and driving habits. Tesla has indeed made giant leaps in the field of safety and performance and yet the process of assessment and the identification of such improvements must still be carried out in order to ensure that the performance claims made by the company are believable and that the cars are offering just as much protection and performance as possible.