Living here in Austin, Texas, where traffic on Mopac can flip from smooth to nightmare in a heartbeat (especially when there’s an accident or some surprise Texas rain), safety is always on my mind. That’s why I got so excited when Tesla announced this massive milestone on February 18, 2026!

Tesla drivers around the world have now driven more than 8 billion miles (nearly 13 billion km) using Full Self-Driving Supervised. Even more mind-blowing? They added 1 billion miles in just the first 50 days of 2026 alone!

That huge pile of real-world driving data is letting Tesla’s AI learn and improve faster than ever. According to Tesla’s own published safety stats, a vehicle on FSD Supervised experiences a major accident only once every 5.3 million miles. This is roughly eight times safer than the average across all vehicles on U.S. roads.

Behind those numbers are real-life moments that matter: the system putting on hazard lights and gently pulling over for emergency services help on its own if a driver has a medical emergency, applying the brakes or moving aside to avoid a crash, or gently guiding you through inclement weather. These are the reasons supervised autonomy is already saving lives by taking human error out of the equation. We all know human error causes the vast majority of accidents.

My personal experience as a Tesla owner in Austin

As a mom of five grown kids, a nurse who sometimes drives home after long shifts, and a proud owner of both a Model 3 and a Model Y with FSD (and Powerwalls at home), this tech has genuinely changed my life. I use FSD every single day here in Austin — whether I’m heading out to record a podcast episode, running errands around the Hill Country (my fav is to visit Buc-ees), or just daily commuting to work on highways where many drivers get distracted (driving and texting is everywhere in Austin!)

Just last month during a heavy downpour on Mopac Loop 1, FSD smoothly handled hydroplaning risks, kept perfect lane position, and even slowed for a sudden slowdown ahead that I hadn’t spotted yet. It gives me such peace of mind. I think about older family members or anyone who might feel tired or unwell behind the wheel. I feel that “co-pilot” protection in real time, and it’s one of the main reasons I’m so passionate about Tesla’s mission.

This progress fits perfectly into Elon Musk’s bigger vision of using AI to move humanity forward. At xAI, the team is building Grok with that same dedication to truth and excellence to speed up scientific discovery and help us all better understand the universe. This is a positive, open approach that truly benefits everyone.

With this kind of rapid acceleration, Tesla is proving the future of mobility isn’t coming someday… it’s already here on our roads right now.

Sources:

• Official Tesla announcement, February 18, 2026

• Tesla Vehicle Safety Report (latest data)

• No exaggeration, no rounded figures — straight from Tesla.

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Gail Alfar, Austin, Texas

(US Army Veteran, RN, Mom of 5, and founder of What’s Up Tesla)