{"id":46472,"date":"2022-09-29T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T14:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getjerry.com\/?p=46472"},"modified":"2025-01-16T08:52:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T16:52:53","slug":"tesla-drivers-less-safe-more-male-less-distracted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/studies\/tesla-drivers-less-safe-more-male-less-distracted\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla Drivers: Less Safe, More Male, Rarely Distracted"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>People love to hate Tesla drivers, who may have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2022\/apr\/29\/digested-week-bmw-drivers-lose-proud-title-worst-on-road-tesla\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">replaced BMW drivers<\/a> as the most loathed on the road. Founder Elon Musk\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2022-07-30\/elon-musk-s-antics-turn-owners-and-would-be-buyers-against-tesla\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">antics <\/a>haven\u2019t helped. It\u2019s gotten so bad, Tesla owners say, that they are frequent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/des-moines\/2022\/08\/04\/iowa-tesla-drivers-targets-aggression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">targets of harassment<\/a>, vandalism and road rage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With all that in mind, <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/is-jerry-legit\/\">Jerry <\/a>looked at data on Tesla drivers to see who they are and how they drive. Here\u2019s what we found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tesla drivers scored worse than 98% of all drivers in acceleration safety, according to data analysis by Jerry. The blame may lie with Tesla\u2019s \u201cInsane\u201d, \u201cLudicrous\u201d and \u201cPlaid\u201d modes, which put world-best acceleration at the average driver\u2019s fingertips. Sudden bursts of speed push acceleration scores lower.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only drivers of supercar brands Aston Martin (3.94) and Maserati (4.24) scored worse in acceleration than Tesla drivers (4.37), but there were so few Aston Martin samples in the dataset that the difference in scores could easily have been due to random chance. Which means that Maserati drivers are the only ones who clearly like to floor it more than Tesla drivers. Drivers of Genesis (4.41) and Jaguar (4.55) rounded out the bottom five for worst acceleration scores.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tesla drivers also scored below average for overall safety, though the difference with the average score was modest and hard to quantify in non-numeric terms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trips by Tesla drivers resulted in the worst possible acceleration score (1 out of 5) more than four times as often as non-Tesla drivers, and more often (7% of trips) than drivers of any other make except Aston Martin (14.3%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/getjerry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-1024x560.png\" alt=\"Brands whose drivers get the worst possible acceleration score most often\" class=\"wp-image-46473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-1536x840.png 1536w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-900x492.png 900w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-400x219.png 400w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-102x56.png 102w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1-457x250.png 457w, https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1666680910500_worst_accel_2x-1.png 1610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tesla drivers also have slightly lower-than-average speed scores, a measure of speed relative to the speed limit. But the difference isn\u2019t statistically significant and Tesla drivers\u2019 average speed and average top speed were both lower than those of non-Tesla drivers. So, while Tesla drivers appear keen to get Ludicrous with acceleration, they apparently aren\u2019t big on testing their vehicles\u2019 top speeds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One area where Tesla drivers outperformed was the distraction score, which is based on handling smartphones while driving. (The less you handle your phone while driving, the higher your score.) Tesla drivers ranked 10th out of drivers of 52 vehicle brands. This certainly helped prop up Tesla drivers\u2019 overall safety score. Who earned the best distraction score? Aston Martin drivers. Perhaps extreme acceleration keeps drivers focused on the road. Tesla drivers\u2019 15-inch touchscreens may also be beating their smartphones in attracting their attention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>So who is behind the wheel of that Tesla? Well, 83% of Tesla drivers in the dataset Jerry examined were male, compared to only 49% of drivers of all other vehicles. Surprising to no one, one third of Tesla drivers have a master\u2019s degree or Ph.D., and the three most common occupations are engineer, manager of operations, and software engineer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So what do we know about Tesla drivers? They are mostly male and more likely than average to be highly educated with a technological bent. They enjoy bursts of acceleration but not high speeds, and they are better than average at keeping their hands off their phones while driving. That&#8217;s what the data says, anyway. We&#8217;ll leave the more subjective judgments to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"methodology\">Methodology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Jerry examined safety scores and other data from 10 million trips taken by 62,000 drivers in 52 different makes of vehicles. That included more than 30,000 trips by 228 Tesla drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To compare the scores of Tesla drivers with drivers of other individual brands, we calculated the average scores for each driver, based on their trip scores, and then the averages for all drivers of a particular make. (Overall scores are not calculated by averaging sub-scores; risk factors from each \u201crisk event\u201d are weighted differently, and frequency is taken into account, when calculating the overall score.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also conducted statistical tests to rule out random chance as a factor in the differences in the scores, using a probability of less than 5% as the threshold. Random chance could not be ruled out in the speed, braking and turning categories when comparing Tesla to non-Tesla drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(An earlier version of this study misstated the percentages of Tesla and non-Tesla drivers with clean driving records.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-meet-experts\" data-wp-interactive=\"jerry\/meet-experts\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;modalVisible&quot;:false}\">\n  <div class=\"font-circular text-2xl font-extrabold text-slate-900\">Expert-driven. Built for you.<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-3\">\n    <div class=\"flex justify-between items-center py-3 border-b border-neutral-200 cursor-pointer font-semibold text-gray-900\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.toggleModal\">\n  <button class=\"text-left text-base\" type=\"button\">\n    Why you can count on Jerry&#8217;s articles  <\/button>\n\n  <div class=\"transition data-[visible=true]:md:rotate-180 text-xs iconify i--chevron-down text-gray-500\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"modal-backdrop fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-50 overflow-hidden overscroll-contain bg-black\/70 font-body transition-transform delay-100 duration-0 md:relative md:z-auto [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:bg-black\/0 [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onModalInit\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n  <div class=\"modal-view fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 flex max-h-[75%] w-full flex-col rounded-t-3xl bg-white pb-7 pl-7 pt-3.5 transition md:relative md:rounded-none md:pl-0 md:transition-none [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n    <div class=\"modal-header md:hidden flex justify-between items-center pb-1 mb-1 border-b border-zinc-200\">\n      <div class=\"modal-title text-base font-semibold\">Summary<\/div>\n\n      <div\n        class=\"modal-close-btn wp-block-group w-11 h-11 mr-2.5 content-center text-center\"\n        data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"iconify i--close text-gray-500 cursor-pointer\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"modal-body pr-7 overflow-y-auto\"><div class=\"wp-block-template-part\"><div class=\"flex flex-row items-center gap-2.5 rounded-lg bg-gray-pink px-4 py-5\">\n  <span class=\"iconify mt-0.5 shrink-0 self-start text-xs text-primary i--shield-check\"><\/span>\n\n  <div>\n    <div class=\"font-body text-xs font-bold text-primary\">Our goal is clear, trustworthy information.<\/div>\n    <div class=\"mt-1 font-body text-xs text-gray-600\">\n      Our content is created, edited and fact checked by a team of licensed insurance agents, automotive pros and\n      experienced journalists who know the industry inside and out. Facts are thoroughly researched, verified and kept\n      current, and our editorial team is separate from our business partners, so our opinions &#038; tips are unbiased. All\n      insights drawn from Jerry\u2019s proprietary, aggregated customer auto insurance quotes data provide unique, real-world\n      guidance.\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"text-base font-semibold text-gray-900\">Our experts<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-8 flex flex-col gap-8 items-center justify-center\">\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Henry-Hoeing.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Henry-Hoeing.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Henry-Hoeing-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Henry-Hoeing-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Henry-Hoeing-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              Henry Hoenig            <\/div>\n\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>Henry Hoenig previously worked as an economics editor for Bloomberg News and a senior news editor for The Wall Street Journal. His data journalism at Jerry has been featured in outlets including CBS News, Yahoo! Finance, FOX Business, Business Insider, Bankrate, The Motley Fool, AutoWeek, Money.com and more.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tesla drivers scored worse than 98% of all drivers in acceleration safety, according to data analysis by Jerry. The blame may lie with Tesla\u2019s \u201cInsane\u201d, \u201cLudicrous\u201d and \u201cPlaid\u201d modes, which put world-best acceleration at the average driver\u2019s fingertips. Sudden bursts of speed push acceleration scores lower.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-advice","format":"standard","meta":{"jerry_authors":"[{\"id\":\"128\",\"type\":\"main-author\"}]","jerry_author_ids":[128],"jerry_idx_page_label":"","jerry_meta_desc":"Tesla drivers scored worse than 98% of all drivers in acceleration safety, according to data analysis by Jerry. The blame may lie with Tesla\u2019s \u201cInsane\u201d, \u201cLudicrous\u201d and \u201cPlaid\u201d modes, which put world-best acceleration at the average driver\u2019s fingertips. Sudden bursts of speed push acceleration scores lower.","jerry_related_posts":"[19446,11588,29908,7860,25726]","jerry_summary":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[637],"tags":[357],"class_list":["post-46472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-studies","tag-tesla"],"modified_by":"bryce.hermsen@getjerry.com","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46472"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47116,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46472\/revisions\/47116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}