Overenthusiastic fans of Elon Musk and his company often accuse us of attacking Tesla for its numerous recalls and questionable safety technology testing processes. However, what these fanboys fail to take note of is that we report on the news as it happens and do not curate what happens to be relevant. Moreover, we give credit where credit is due and report on the brand's innovations and achievements just as much as its failures, just as we do with any other brand. So prepare your sarcastic comments and listen up as we explain why Tesla Autopilot is a highly valuable innovation that should be used whenever possible.

According to Tesla's 2021 Impact Report, vehicles that have Autopilot activated are eight times less likely to be involved in accidents compared to the total US vehicle fleet:

"In 2021, we recorded 0.22 crashes for every million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology (Autosteer and active safety features). For drivers who were not using Autopilot technology (no Autosteer and active safety features), we recorded 0.77 crashes for every million miles driven. By comparison, NHTSA's most recent data shows that in the United States there are 1.81 automobile crashes for every million miles driven."

Of course, Autopilot can still fail, and drivers still need to take responsibility for their driving, but the data proves that, on average, an Autopilot-related crash is extremely unlikely.

This data shows that, despite caricatured misrepresentations of the cause of an accident in many a Tesla's case, Autopilot is one of the finest safety systems on the planet, and you're vastly more likely to have a safe trip in a Tesla running Autopilot than in the rest of the American market's vehicular offerings. It also goes to show that political campaigns against Tesla are silly, and instead of focusing on the fact that Tesla vehicles are often in the news for bad reasons, those in a position of political prominence should be proclaiming the fact that these cars have far more benefits than drawbacks.

Just look at the Model S Plaid, a family car, supercar, and eco-warrior all in one. Of course, we'd have even more respect for Tesla if it carried out its own testing at all times instead of using its customers as guinea pigs, but without a doubt, this data shows that its technology works to better mankind by making our roads both cleaner and safer, and that should be applauded and supported.