Driving a Tesla in the UK, as explained by a foreigner.

[TheRealWatto]

I don't actually think undertaking, passing on the left is a cause, the figures I've seen more recently show US death rates are 4x higher than uk. I don't think you can put it down to our road types limiting speed, our safest roads by far are motorways and dual carriageways, the type of roads you seem to be suggesting are the cause in the US. Our worst type of road is country roads, 2 way, bends with poor visibility, tractors, pedestrians and not always room for 2 cars to pass easily, and that type of road is less common in the US. Maybe, just maybe, our regulations, law enforcement, and culture play a part. And our regulations include the ones we're talking about.

I was suggesting that undertaking wasn't the cause, as it happens in other countries with lower death rates than the US, eg. Australia.

I made no suggestion as to the cause of death rates in the US. I suggested UK death rates may be lower because average speeds here are lower because much of our driving is done in city locations with lower limits and also parking etc. that force people to drive slower, plus our trips are on average likely much shorter, due to living in high density cities.

In the US most trips are done by car, they have little public transport (with some exceptions), and they drive long distances like it is nothing. US average mileage is around double ours. If we had similar do you really think the British superior regulations, law enforcement and culture would prevent us from closing in on their numbers?

Edit: clarified and removed some snark

 

[DrJFoster]

I was suggesting that undertaking wasn't the cause, as it happens in other countries with lower death rates than the US, eg. Australia.

I made no suggestion as to the cause of death rates in the US. I suggested UK death rates may be lower because average speeds here are lower because much of our driving is done in city locations with lower limits and also parking etc. that force people to drive slower, plus our trips are on average likely much shorter, due to living in high density cities.

In the US most trips are done by car, they have little public transport (with some exceptions), and they drive long distances like it is nothing. US average mileage is around double ours. If we had similar do you really think the British superior regulations, law enforcement and culture would prevent us from closing in on their numbers?

Edit: clarified and removed some snark

Statistics are based on miles driven so drive twice as far and you'll personally be twice as likely to have an accident, but the stats reported for accidents/mile would be the same.

Its the same reason that Teslas Autopilot safety statistics are disingenuous. They pretend to be suggest something they don't.

 

[TheRealWatto]

Statistics are based on miles driven so drive twice as far and you'll personally be twice as likely to have an accident, but the stats reported for accidents/mile would be the same.

Most of the stats that appear to be referred to in here are accidents per 100,000 people or vehicles. For people UK is 2.9 and USA is 12.4 and for vehicles UK is 5.7 and US is 14.2.

Per billion miles driven the figures are UK 3.8 and US 7.3. The UK figures are older (2010), so probably would be lower now, but it's still a useful comparison. Shockingly it appears as if driving distances do make a difference.

There are plenty of other factors at play that these numbers don't consider. The average speeds in the US are higher (higher speeds = higher risk of death), roads in the US are wider (which encourages higher speeds, go look it up) they are longer, more boring, and more fatigue inducing, there's more danger from animal contact, there are far more dangerous road conditions (eg. -30C temperatures in winter, regular major storms) etc. without even considering the fleet types and ages in the US vs. here in the UK.

If you just want to pretend that UK drivers are somehow inherently better, more power to you. I do not believe it, I think they are pretty much equally as *sugar* as drivers from most other reasonably regulated countries.

Do you genuinely think dropping some random UK driver into the US they'll be inherently safer?

 

[Bouba]

Do you genuinely think dropping some random UK driver into the US they'll be inherently safer?

When I arrived in France, I thought that if I always give way then the person I gave way to would pay it forward…and in twenty years the French would be more considerate drivers. Well, twenty years later, it hasn’t quite taken..but I’m willing to give it more time

 

[Pauld999]

Can I quote you if I get pulled by the old bill ?

You can quote the highway code. Any traffic police officer will know this, thus it will be a mute point and it wont be an issue, unless there are other offences to consider.

 

[Frankb70]

Our car's aren't crippled by UNECE regulations, the reason our performance is so far behind the US is because all the factors the OP has mentioned aren't taken into account yet. Even remote summon, our car parks are tighter than the US and I'd rather not have my car driver over curbs or grass banks when it fails.

What's summons, smart summons and park, no longer available since October 2022, You pay for the functions but don't get them. We have just recently had a park assist update which uses the vehicles cameras, its hit and miss and cant be relied upon, I gone back to the old days and screwed a batten to my garage floor as I cant rely on warning distances which are never the same. I recently test drove a Hyundai EV and I was impressed with its remote self parking. It puts Tesla to shame, but then it does lack the "fart" mode, which is useful if you bump into objects whilst parking.

 

[MattJ M]

For information. You should be in the left lane unless overtaking. Don’t be like everyone else that sits in the middle lane for no apparent reason.