When it comes to buying a new car, safety is likely near the top of most buyers‘ priority lists. We want assurance that our vehicles will properly protect us and our loved ones in the event of a crash. This is why standardized safety testing from agencies like the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) in the US and Euro NCAP in Europe has become so valued by consumers.
So when a car receives near perfect marks across the board on these rigorous safety tests, it‘s a standout achievement worth noting. This is exactly what happened last year when the Tesla Model Y underwent safety testing and effectively "broke" the rating system, according to some headlines. Its combination of safety technology and structural design outperformed all other vehicles tested to date.
In this article, we‘ll break down the testing results, key safety features, real-world implications, and why the Tesla Model Y sets a new safety standard that could shape all future car design.
By the Numbers: Record-Setting Safety Scores
In 2021 and 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Euro NCAP, and ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) all conducted independent testing on the Tesla Model Y. Across the board, it received the best scores each agency has ever awarded:
NHTSA
- Overall Rating: 5 stars
- Frontal Crash: 5 stars
- Side Crash: 5 stars
- Rollover: 5 stars
Euro NCAP
- Overall Rating: 5 stars
- Adult Occupant Protection: 97%
- Child Occupant Protection: 87%
- Vulnerable Road User Protection: 80%
- Safety Assist: 98%
ANCAP
- Overall Rating: 5 stars
- Adult Occupant Protection: 98%
- Child Occupant Protection: 89%
- Vulnerable Road User Protection: 82%
- Safety Assist: 95%
So what should we make of these near-perfect marks across such comprehensive testing benchmarks? Daniel Jong, manager of Communications and Engagement at Euro NCAP noted:
"The Model Y registered one of Euro NCAP’s highest overall safety scores, showing very comprehensive performance across all four key areas of assessment.”
To understand more about why the vehicle achieved such high results, let‘s break down some of its core safety features and systems.
Core Safety Technology in the Tesla Model Y
The Tesla Model Y owes much of its safety capabilities to advanced technology features that come standard in all models. Some examples include:
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
AEB uses sensors and cameras to detect potential collisions and automatically applies the brakes to avoid or mitigate impacts. According to a recent report from the American Automobile Association (AAA), AEB systems like Tesla‘s reduce rear-end crashes by 50%. The system is always active whenever the car is in motion.
Forward Collision Warning & Automatic Emergency Braking
Much like AEB, this system warns drivers of an impending front-end collision and applies the brakes automatically if the driver does not respond to the warning. Studies by the NHTSA show these systems can reduce front-to-rear collisions by 27-50%.
Lane Departure Avoidance & Active Steering
Using data from the vehicle‘s cameras and sensors, Tesla‘s active steering system detects when the car starts drifting out of the intended lane. It then steers back into the lane to avoid running off the road or into oncoming traffic. This advanced steering application works even when Autopilot is not engaged.
City Street Automatic Emergency Braking
Exclusive to Tesla vehicles, this new system detects imminent collisions with pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles at lower city street speeds. It warns drivers and automatically applies the brakes to prevent crashes. According to Consumer Reports testing, Tesla models stop for pedestrians faster than any other vehicle.
Rollover Resistance from Low Center of Gravity
Unlike traditional cars that place heavy components like the engine up high, the battery pack in Tesla‘s Model Y vehicles sits very low near the floor of the vehicle. This gives the SUV an extremely low center of gravity and strong resistance to rollover crashes. Tesla also designed their glass roofs, which typically add height, to contribute to rollover safety rather than detract from it.
With the Model Y‘s suite of active collision avoidance systems and inherent resistance to being tipped over, the vehicle is fully equipped to prevent accidents rather than hoping to merely withstand them. But for any incidents drivers can‘t avoid, the vehicles also employ advanced occupant safety features as well.
Occupant Protection Systems
When a collision is determined to be unavoidable, whether due to environmental conditions or limitations of current technology, the Model Y is designed to provide maximum protection to passengers inside the vehicle. Tesla employs leading-edge airbag systems, advanced seatbelts, impact absorbing components and more:
8 Airbags for Comprehensive Impact Coverage
Dual front airbags shield both front passengers, along with knee airbags and side curtain airbags that deploy to cover all side windows. The Model Y also uniquely includes a rear airbag between front seat passengers for additional rear collision protection.
Seatbelts with Pre-Tensioners & Force Limiters
The front seat belts automatically tighten and adjust tension just prior to a collision, then gradually release force on occupants to reduce injury. This system provides full protection while preventing bruising or further harm.
Rigid Occupant Compartment
Rather than allowing the front hood or trunk to crumple and compromise the main cabin in a crash, Tesla vehicles distribute impact forces down the body and away from occupants. The reinforced battery back and rigid frame around passengers provide the highest probability of avoiding injury.
Energy Absorbing Materials Throughout
Materials used for seats, seat belts, airbags, bumpers, siding and more are all specifically designed to compress in a controlled manner. This cushions and slows occupants gently rather than allowing them to strike rigid portions of the vehicle at high speeds.
Real-World Safety Outcomes
With both advanced accident avoidance systems and state-of-the-art occupant protection, Tesla vehicles like the Model Y provide comprehensive, real-world safety for drivers. Some examples of crash outcomes from Tesla‘s occupant data show the live-saving potential:
- A 35 mph angled impact into a concrete highway divider resulted in no airbag deployment and no injury to the Model 3 driver.
- A 60 mph rear-end collision into a stopped fire truck caused airbags and belts to activate. The Model 3 driver had only minor injuries.
- A 60 mph lateral impact with a pole sheared the Model 3 in half, yet the driver compartment remained intact. The driver survived the high-speed crash.
As Tesla vehicles continue to achieve both record-low probabilities of collision and unprecedented protection when crashes occur, they are setting a new standard for automotive safety. One has to wonder how traditional automakers with legacy internal combustion engine vehicles will keep pace.
“Tesla have shown that nothing but the best is good enough when it comes to vehicle safety,” said Secretary General of Euro NCAP, Michiel van Ratingen. This drive seems to spur continual improvement even beyond the high water mark they‘ve already achieved.
Ongoing Safety Innovation at Tesla
Rather than resting on their laurels, Tesla continues to push boundaries and employ new safety capabilities through over-the-air software updates. Some recent examples include:
- Updating vehicles built since November 2021 with cabin cameras to enable Driver Monitoring System safety features
- Expanding Autopilot to navigate more complex urban environments and intersections
- Employing powerful AI training systems that analyze data from the full Tesla fleet to enable continuous autonomous improvement
Additionally, Tesla is committed to safety data transparency and accountability. They continue to publish detailed quarterly vehicle safety reports that track collision rates, accident statistics and Autopilot safety levels. This wealth of real-world data demonstrates that Teslas are becoming statistically safer vehicles over time.
For example, according to Tesla‘s Q3 2022 Safety Report:
- Teslas registered one accident for every 9.1 million miles driven when using Autopilot technology.
- For drivers using Autopilot, the probability of being involved in a collision was nearly 10x lower compared to the average vehicle in the US.
- Overall probability of injury was approximately 50% lower for Tesla vehicles vs all other luxury cars.
Digging deeper into the data, Tesla Autopilot specifically reduced side-impact crash rates by around 75%. This number aligns closely with the roughly 80% score awarded to the Model Y for vulnerable road user safety by Euro NCAP testing.
The Ripple Effects of a New Safety Paradigm
The Tesla Model Y and the company‘s continual pursuit of safety innovation seems poised to impact more than just their own lineup of industry-leading vehicles. The heightened benchmarks create positive pressure across the entire automotive industry.
We‘re already witnessing the rollout of more advanced driver assistance features and emphasis on occupant protection from other major manufacturers. We can likely expect even more vehicle models to follow Tesla‘s lead when it comes to over-the-air update functionality, built-in driver monitoring systems, automated emergency response capabilities and more.
Many industry experts have posited that the future of self-driving vehicles hinges on early examples proving unequivocally safer than human drivers alone. If that‘s the case, Tesla‘s ever-improving autonomous technology integrated with fail-safe occupant protection systems demonstrates a viable path forward. Model Y may well represent the prototype for full self-driving reaching mainstream adoption in the coming years.
Hildegard Wortmann, a member of Audi’s board of management, recently commented on Tesla‘s progress:
“Tesla is doing outstanding work in areas including autonomous driving technology and software defined vehicles.”
Wortmann said she believes Tesla vehicles will continue raising benchmarks and pushing other manufactures forward at an accelerated pace. This aptly summarizes the ripple effect prompted by the EV maker.
And if we enter into an era of fully autonomous passenger vehicles, the priority of occupant safety during rare incidents of system failure moves front and center. In that sense, Tesla‘s obsessive focus on creating passenger safety cocoons to rival commercial airliners seems prescient. The Model Y represents physical proof that self-driving cars can keep riders safer than ever before.
Safety Considerations for Current Drivers
While Tesla‘s automated systems and crash protection measures lead the industry, no vehicle yet eliminates accidents completely. Human judgment still plays a vital role. As such, all drivers must remain attentive and ready to take control when conditions exceed the capabilities of current technologies.
Tesla themselves acknowledge that both Autopilot and the company‘s separate Full Self-Driving feature remain in early beta development. Neither system renders the vehicle fully autonomous in all conditions. Legally and practically, human drivers maintain responsibility for safe operation of their vehicles.
Still, Tesla‘s projected path does point to a future where drivers can disengage and rely on technology for routine safety more than ever before. If the Model Y and its successors achieve continually improving self-driving abilities, accident metrics could plummet industry-wide. And when the inevitable crashes do occur, the survivability for passengers increases dramatically.
So while Tesla drivers enjoy cutting edge assisted driving and likely best-in-class protection today, they still serve an essential function at the helm of responsibility. As vehicles incrementally improve to handle more scenarios independently, the role of the driver will shrink over time. Until the arrival of Level 5 full autonomous capability, we must continue working in partnership between human oversight and ever-more-intelligent machines.
The Road to Fully Autonomous Driving
While Tesla appears to be leading the charge when it comes to vehicle automation and safety, Level 5 full self driving with zero driver involvement remains complex hurdle yet to be solved.
Experts suggest the incremental stages between today‘s capabilities and complete autonomous functionality depend heavily on technical feats across several domains including:
Expanding sensor suites – Today‘s vehicles rely primarily on cameras paired with radar and ultrasonics. Additional sensor inputs including types of LiDAR, infrared, sonar and more will likely provide necessary data.
Scaling datasets – Machine learning systems require massive datasets with examples of rare incidents to continue progressing safely. Expanding data gathering and sharing between automakers could accelerate development.
Mapping and localization refinements – Precise positioning, object detection and path planning hinge on ultra high-definition maps that locates the vehicle within centimeters.
Testing and validation frameworks – New evaluation rubrics like UL 4600 established by Underwriters Laboratories provide transparency on comprehensive self-driving assessments spanning functionality, reliability, cybersecurity and more.
Infrastructure integration – Integration with smart city infrastructure via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology can enable higher precision and reaction times by allowing cars and traffic systems to communicate directly.
Regulation evolution – Updating policy frameworks, liability definitions, licensing procedures and manufacturing standards will also influence rollout timelines of more advanced systems.
As Tesla continues pioneering efforts toward full autonomy, these areas represent just some of the monumental feats still required for cars to match human perceptual and driving abilities in totality. Of course, the vehicles may not need to best people, but simply prove safer overall under real-world driving variability.
Again, the occupant safety cocoons engineered into the Model Y bode well for protecting passengers during this interim period when human oversight remains integral. Tesla vehicles can sustain most crashes without injury even if automation features fail. The company‘s layering of active crash avoidance technology and passive occupant protection provides overlapping safety that supports the transition toward models with greater independent operation.
Conclusion: Model Y Sets a New Automotive Safety Bar
In light of the Tesla Model Y‘s nearly unprecedented safety testing performance, the vehicle sets a markedly higher standard for the entire auto industry. It demonstrates the immense life-saving potential of integrating automated accident prevention functionality with multi-layered occupant protection redundancy. This combination repeatedly prevented or mitigated collisions during expert evaluation. And when crashes did occur, superior interior safety systems maintained near-impenetrable refuge for vehicle occupants.
Tesla did not achieve such success by small increments or happenstance. As CEO Elon Musk frequently states publicly, the engineering team obsesses over safety as their absolute top priority. They endeavor to build vehicles exponentially safer than baseline requirements or existing benchmarks. And by all accounts, they have succeeded with flying colors in the Model Y.
If this astonishing vehicle is the prototype for future self-driving cars anticipated in the coming years and decades, we can expect radical improvements in automotive fatalities. Some analysts project fully autonomous vehicles could eliminate 90%+ of all accidents when scaled globally. While technology still has significant progress ahead, Tesla‘s safety test results provide an encouraging glimpse of that future vision available today.
