🚗AutoPilotWatch

Fatalities

71 fatal incidents involving autonomous driving systems.

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The Human Cost

  • →71 people have died in AV/ADAS incidents. 80.3% involved Tesla vehicles.
  • →ADAS (driver assist) systems account for 69 of 71 fatalities.
  • →24 fatalities occurred in a single state: CA.

Understanding AV Fatality Data

Every fatality on this page represents a real person who died in a crash involving an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving system. AutoPilotWatch tracks these deaths using mandatory crash reports filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under Standing General Order 2021-01.

Since June 2021, manufacturers have been required to report crashes involving their automated driving systems. Fatal crashes must be reported within 24 hours. This page consolidates all fatality data from those mandatory filings into a single, searchable database.

It's important to understand what this data does and does not tell us. A fatality appearing here means the autonomous or driver-assist system was engaged at the time of the crash — it does not necessarily mean the system caused the crash. In some cases, another driver may have been at fault. In others, the system may have failed to prevent a collision that a human driver might also have missed. NHTSA's SGO reports do not assign fault or causation.

71

Total Fatalities

69

ADAS Deaths

2

ADS Deaths

25

States Affected

Fatalities by Manufacturer

Tesla, Inc.57 deaths (80.3%)
Ford Motor Company3 deaths (4.2%)
Waymo LLC2 deaths (2.8%)
General Motors, LLC2 deaths (2.8%)
Mobileye Vision Technologies2 deaths (2.8%)
comma.ai1 deaths (1.4%)
Subaru of America, Inc.1 deaths (1.4%)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)1 deaths (1.4%)
Nissan North America, Inc.1 deaths (1.4%)
APTIV1 deaths (1.4%)

ADS vs. ADAS: Why the Distinction Matters

ADAS Fatalities (69)

ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) like Tesla Autopilot and GM Super Cruise are Level 2 systems that require a human driver to remain engaged at all times. Most ADAS fatalities involve highway-speed crashes where the driver may have been inattentive or over-reliant on the system. These crashes tend to be high-severity due to the speeds involved.

ADS Fatalities (2)

ADS (Automated Driving Systems) like Waymo and Cruise operate without requiring human intervention. ADS fatalities are comparatively rare given the lower speeds at which most robotaxis operate (typically under 35 mph in urban areas). However, each ADS fatality draws significant scrutiny since the vehicle was fully in control.

📋 How We Track Fatalities

Fatality data comes from NHTSA's Standing General Order mandatory crash reports. A crash is classified as fatal when the "Persons Killed" field in the SGO report indicates one or more deaths among vehicle occupants, pedestrians, cyclists, or other road users.

Manufacturers are required to file fatal crash reports within 24 hours of learning of the incident. Reports may be updated as more information becomes available — for example, when an initially non-fatal crash results in a later death. Our database always reflects the most recent version of each report.

For complete methodology details, see our full methodology page.

All Fatal Incidents

DateManufacturerVehicleStateType
UndatedWaymo LLCJAGUAR I-PACEAZADS
UndatedWaymo LLCJaguar I-PaceCAADS
Undatedcomma.aiTOYOTA RAV4LAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model YILADAS
UndatedSubaru of America, Inc.SUBARU OutbackFLADAS
UndatedGeneral Motors, LLCCHEVROLET TraverseMSADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model YCAADAS
UndatedGeneral Motors, LLCCADILLAC EscaladeNYADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model YALADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3VAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3AZADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3FLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model YCAADAS
UndatedHonda (American Honda Motor Co.)HONDA CivicTXADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model XOHADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3NJADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.TESLA Model 3NJADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YMOADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YFLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YCAADAS
UndatedNissan North America, Inc.Nissan AriyaTNADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3OHADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3ALADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YNJADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedFord Motor CompanyFord F-150GAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YINADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3FLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YAZADAS
UndatedAPTIVFord Mach EUNKADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model SWAADAS
UndatedMobileye Vision TechnologiesFord Mustang Mach-E SUVPAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedFord Motor CompanyFord Mach-EPAADAS
UndatedFord Motor CompanyFord Mach-ETXADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Unknown MNADAS
UndatedMobileye Vision TechnologiesFord Mustang Mach-E SUVTXADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YWYADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YVAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YCAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model SNYADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model SORADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YFLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YCAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model SCAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3GAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3FLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3SCADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3NJADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3UTADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YFLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YCAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model SFLADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3COADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YCAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model 3CAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model XPAADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model XNYADAS
UndatedTesla, Inc.Tesla Model YNYADAS

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people have died in autonomous vehicle crashes?

As of the latest NHTSA data, 71 fatal incidents have been recorded involving autonomous or semi-autonomous driving systems. These include both fully autonomous ADS vehicles and driver-assist ADAS systems like Tesla Autopilot.

Which manufacturer has the most AV fatalities?

Tesla accounts for 57 of 71 fatal incidents (80.3%). This reflects both Tesla's large consumer fleet and the nature of high-speed ADAS crashes on highways.

Where do most fatal AV crashes occur?

CA has the most fatal AV incidents with 24 deaths. Fatal incidents have been reported across 25 U.S. states and territories.

Are fully autonomous vehicles safer than driver-assist systems?

ADS (fully autonomous) systems account for 2 fatalities compared to 69 for ADAS (driver-assist) systems. However, direct comparison requires normalizing by miles driven, which most companies don't disclose.

What is the difference between ADS and ADAS fatalities?

ADS fatalities involve fully autonomous vehicles (SAE Level 3-5) like Waymo robotaxis where no human driver is expected. ADAS fatalities involve driver-assist systems (SAE Level 2) like Tesla Autopilot where a human driver should be supervising.

Related Pages

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All Incidents

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Manufacturers

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By State

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Methodology

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