The latest study conducted by LendingTree unveils that drivers of Tesla Inc. TSLA lead in the number of accidents, while BMW drivers rank highest in DUIs in the U.S. over the past year.
What Happened: The research, which analyzed 30 car brands, identified troubling trends among Tesla and BMW drivers. Tesla drivers were involved in 24 accidents for every 1,000 drivers during the year from mid-November 2022 to the same month in 2023, making it the highest accident rate among any car brand. Following Tesla were Ram and Subaru drivers with approximately 23 and 21 accidents, respectively, reported CNBC on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Pontiac, Mercury, and Saturn drivers had fewer than 10 accidents per 1,000 drivers during the same span.
BMW drivers emerged as the most prone to DUI violations, with about 3 DUIs per 1,000 drivers annually, which is almost twice the DUI rate among Ram drivers, who came second in the category.
Considering accidents, DUIs, speeding, and other citations, Ram drivers had the highest overall incident rate, followed by Tesla drivers.
Such incidents can significantly escalate insurance rates for drivers. For instance, a single speeding ticket can boost the cost of vehicle insurance by 10% to 20%, accidents can raise it by around 40%, and DUIs can spike it up by 60% or more.
The study’s results were released amidst Tesla’s recent recall of its Autopilot software, impacting nearly 2 million electric vehicles in the U.S.
Why It Matters: Tesla has been facing a series of legal challenges and controversies surrounding its Autopilot system, with allegations that the company misled customers about the technology’s capabilities and failed to deliver on its promises. Tesla has recently recalled 2.03 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the Autosteer feature.
The recall followed an uptick in user complaints about the Model Y/3 forward collision system, which dramatically surged in 2021 after Tesla CEO Elon Musk decided to disable radar on all Model 3 and Model Y cars. Critics argue that the recall is far from sufficient urging further investigation into Tesla’s safety practices.
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