Tesla releases detailed safety report after Waymo co-CEO called for more data

Tesla has released its most detailed safety data for its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software, claiming users drive significantly more miles between collisions compared to national averages. The company reports FSD users travel approximately 2.9 million miles between major collisions and 986,000 miles between minor collisions, substantially exceeding NHTSA averages of 505,000 and 178,000 miles respectively for all drivers. This new data, which defines major collisions by airbag deployment and includes incidents where FSD was active within five seconds, addresses prior criticisms of Tesla's safety reporting and positions its advanced driver assistance system as significantly safer than human driving, with quarterly updates planned.

Analysis

Tesla (TSLA) has released its most detailed safety data for its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software, claiming a significantly lower collision rate than national averages. The company reports FSD users travel approximately 2.9 million miles between major collisions and 986,000 miles between minor collisions, substantially exceeding NHTSA data for all drivers, which indicates 505,000 miles per major collision and 178,000 miles per minor collision. This new data, which focuses on FSD rather than the less advanced Autopilot, directly addresses prior criticisms regarding the insufficiency of Tesla's safety reporting.

Tesla has also provided greater transparency by defining "major collisions" based on airbag deployment and including incidents where FSD was active within five seconds of impact. The company plans to update this data quarterly, reflecting a rolling 12-month aggregation of miles and collisions. However, Tesla explicitly states it will not release injury rates, focusing instead on objective metrics like collision frequency and airbag deployment.

This disclosure follows industry calls for greater transparency in advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) safety data, notably from Waymo's co-CEO. While the data positions FSD as substantially safer than human driving, Tesla has not released safety information for its Robotaxi trial, which still involves human monitors. The mildly positive sentiment (0.6) for TSLA suggests a favorable market reception to this increased disclosure. The themes of AI, Automotive & EV, and Regulation & Legislation are highly relevant to this development.

The company's methodology, including the five-second pre-collision window for FSD activity, aims to capture a broader range of system involvement. This detailed reporting could influence public perception and regulatory discussions around ADAS safety. The consistent quarterly updates are intended to provide relevant insights into recent trends and progress in FSD safety performance.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should critically evaluate Tesla's new FSD safety metrics against established benchmarks and competitor data, considering the specific definitions used and the absence of Robotaxi trial data, to assess the true competitive advantage in autonomous driving.
• Given the ongoing regulatory scrutiny and industry calls for transparency, investors should monitor how this data influences regulatory bodies like NHTSA and anticipate future disclosures, particularly regarding injury rates or Robotaxi performance, which could impact public perception and adoption.
• Consider how these positive safety claims might accelerate FSD adoption rates and potentially justify higher valuation multiples for Tesla's software segment, while also factoring in the inherent risks associated with advanced driver assistance systems and potential liabilities.