Elon Musk Says Self-Driving Software Could Reduce Traffic Accidents By Up To 99%

Tesla Inc TSLA has been testing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software on a limited number of cars for more than a year. The software allows Tesla vehicles to attempt driving maneuvers from point A to B with human supervision. While the software often makes mistakes that need human intervention, the goal is to get the cars driving themselves better than a human can.

Responding to comment's on Tesla's Dojo Supercomputer white paper release, CEO Elon Musk stated that reducing traffic fatalities by 90% seems likely, and ultimately, the company may reduce them up to 99%. 

Reducing traffic fatalities by 90% seems likely, perhaps ultimately by over 99%

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2021

While it may seem ambitious, a self-driving car can see in all directions at all times. It never gets sleepy, distracted or drunk. And while accidents will still happen in the future, autonomous accidents should be less frequent and any collision that does happen would be at a slower speed due to the computer's quick reaction and braking times.

Tesla's upcoming Dojo Supercomputer will be used to train self-driving cars. Once this computer is up and running, which Musk predicted it would be ready around November 2021, the car's ability to navigate the world around it should accelerate greatly, according to Tesla.

Photo: Courtesy of Tesla