Poor Tesla. It seems that whenever one of Elon’s semi-autonomous electric cars is involved in an accident it is guaranteed some column space. And not just in any old news source, even the New York Times reports on these fateful events.
For instance, in April 2021 two men were killed in Texas after their speeding self-driving Tesla Model S was involved in an accident with neither of the men steering the car. Upon smashing into a tree, the car burst into flames. This once again piqued regulators’ interest and concerns about the batteries used in electric vehicles.
In June 2021 a speeding Tesla driver slammed into a Brooklyn, New York, senior living facility killing an 18-year-old backseat passenger and wounding three others.
This past week another accident, this time a Revel Rideshare Tesla Model Y, made headlines after it was involved in a serious accident in Manhattan, New York. A video which includes aerial footage shows a speeding car travelling at approximately 112 km/h smashing into a UPS truck pushing it onto the pavement where after the delivery vehicle hit a Top View-owned double-decker bus. NBC New York reported that Top View’s phone lines were disconnected so they couldn’t be reached for comments on the matter. UPS is assisting police with the investigation into the incident.
Accident scene photos show extensive damage to the car but it wasn’t clear whether the roof and driver’s door were torn off during the accident or whether it was removed by emergency crews. The driver survived without suffering any serious injuries but was taken to hospital for treatment. Kudos to Tesla’s active and passive safety systems in this case.
According to Revel they recently had some issues related to it scooter fleet but it’s unclear whether any of their other Teslas have been involved in similar incidents. Luckily the Tesla wasn’t carrying any passengers at the time of the accident.
Words: Thys de Beer
Also read: Tesla in South Africa
