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Studies Don’t Support Elon Musk’s Autopilot Safety Claims

By
Matt Drange
 |  May 29, 2019 7:01 AM PDT
Photo: Art by Danielle Davis

For years, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been making bold claims that the “Autopilot” feature that allows Tesla drivers to drive hands-free is safer than traditional driving.

In 2016, for instance, he said that “half a million” people would be saved if Autopilot were more widely available. In 2017, Musk tweeted that the latest Autopilot software update could reduce collisions by “90%.” And when a government agency found that equipping cars with Autopilot decreased the rate of crashes by 40%, Mr. Musk spread it enthusiastically.

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