"Tesla is under US criminal investigation over self-driving claims...
Reuters learns US DoJ launched investigation last year after more than a dozen crashes, some fatal, involving Autopilot system." - The Guardian
Where have fatal accidents involving Teslas occurred? How many people were killed or injured? Was the driver hurt? Pedestrians? How many of these accidents involved the Tesla Autopilot system?
How does Tesla's safety record compare to other luxury electric vehicles? Where can you find details about cars' safety rankings? Follow along with this StoryMap created with data from TeslaDeaths, NY Times, The Guardian and other sources with details on over 200 fatal Tesla accidents.
Do your research: Buy a safe electric vehicle
Is the Autopilot system safe?
"Tesla Says Autopilot Makes Its Cars Safer. Crash Victims Say It Kills.A California family that lost a 15-year-old boy when a Tesla hit its pickup truck is suing the company, claiming its Autopilot system was partly responsible... accidents involving Autopilot could threaten Tesla’s standing and force regulators to take action against the company. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has about two dozen active investigations into crashes involving Autopilot.
At least three Tesla drivers have died since 2016 in crashes in which Autopilot was engaged and failed to detect obstacles in the road. In two instances, the system did not brake for tractor-trailers crossing highways. In the third, it failed to recognize a concrete barrier. In June, the federal traffic safety agency released a list showing that at least 10 people have been killed in eight accidents involving Autopilot since 2016." - NY Times
Criminal investigation underway
Tesla is under criminal investigation in the United States over claims that the company’s electric vehicles can drive themselves, three people familiar with the matter said. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) launched the previously undisclosed investigation last year following more than a dozen crashes, some of them fatal, involving Tesla’s driver assistance system known as Autopilot, which was activated during the accidents, the people said.
As part of the latest investigation, prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are examining whether Tesla misled consumers, investors and regulators by making unsupported claims about its driver assistance technology’s capabilities, the sources said." - The Guardian
Infographics make complex issues easier to understand
How do you explain the risk around a vehicle that has been involved with dozens of fatalities? Lots of data? Accidents across the country? Conflicting safety claims?
- A map of 200 accidents was created with ArcGIS Online using data from TeslaDeaths.com
- A 20 second video was created using the free iMovie app and a Tesla brake test clip from The Independent
- Quotes from the NY Times, The Guardian, Medium and Mother Jones were added along with links.
- Resources to more information from National Highway Safety Administration , Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Dawn Project were added.
- This was used to create a StoryMap that can be freely shared with this link that can be seen on a phone, tablet or laptop.
- The StoryMap can be embedded in a website with this code: < iframe src="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fb8cff3b5968483cb051c35732319063" width="100%" height="500px" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="geolocation"></iframe>
Take Away: Help people make better decisions with maps and infographics.
Deepak
DemLabs
DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THE DATA FOUND IN THIS BLOG AND INFOGRAPHIC HAS BEEN PRODUCED AND PROCESSED FROM SOURCES BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED CAN BE MADE REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, LEGALITY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION. THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO ANY USES OF THE INFORMATION WHETHER ISOLATED OR AGGREGATE USES THEREOF.