A sad cautionary tale of poor judgement

[iadbound]

My wife hasn't driven my Model S not because I won't let her, but because she doesn't want to. I think she is a little intimidated by its power and she is afraid of trying to back it out of our garage. There is 1 inch of clearance on each side of the car. She broke a mirror off of one of her cars in the past (that had 6 inches to spare on each side).

Back on topic, I've only let 1 friend drive my car, but we've been letting each other try out our various sports cars for several years.

My wife hates the garage too. I think, however, she is really looking forward to taking a spin the in Model S -- once it's out of the garage.

 

[mknox]

I noticed that. It's okay for them to take care of the kids (even trusted to drive them, I assume, in another vehicle), but they're not trusted to get behind the wheel of *your* car. Quite a message being sent there to the entire family.

I think only one person mentioned their wife. As it turns out, my wife hasn't driven the Model S yet not because "I don't let her", but because she doesn't want to. Usually when we go out even in the other car, she wants me to drive. We have been thinking about taking a small road trip, and I'd like to get her behind the wheel, get a profile set up for her and let her do some of the driving. The question is will she want to.

I am, however, staunchly opposed to letting anyone else behind the wheel. That includes valets, friends, tire shop personnel and so forth. Tesla have several times offered to valet my car from my workplace, but I always drive it over myself (it is also convenient since the SC is only about 4 miles from my home).

 

[Electric700]

I hope you heal quickly, and thanks for sharing this. It's a shame that the driver did not listen to you. I also think that if you can find it within yourself to forgive him for this, that it will help you. Maybe he's learned his lesson.

So I haven't had any contact with the driver since the accident. I got a few vague facts from a friend. Last I heard he had not needed to go to the hospital and is at home, but I don't know anything about his interaction with the police. When/if I do learn details I likely won't be sharing them here though because it feels a little off to me.

We took most of our personal effects out of the car. There is a little plastic tab in the middle of the trunk door that can be pried off giving access to a little cord which can be used to manually open the trunk.

The front doors won't open with the outside handles (no power). One of the windows was down, and the front doors do open from the inside. I don't think the rear doors would open either way without power, but there is also the issue of damage to both of them. I think I remember reading something about manual release cords on those too but I didn't look. The glove box wouldn't open, and I suspect the only way to get into it would be getting the electronics back on or prying it open.

I think a good safety and convenience enhancement for the car would be to open every latch after an accident severe enough to deploy airbags. Obviously only if the car was at rest.

 

[dhanson865]

He raced around the first curve and both the passenger and I were asking him to slow down and stop but he gunned it through a second curve and lost control.

We slid sideways and went off the road into a wooded ditch on the left side of the road passenger side first. The passenger rear door struck a tree and the car spun then struck another tree on the rear driver side door. Finally it hit one more tree in the front and stopped.

All the curtain and side air bags had opened. None of the front ones did. I had blanked out a bit for a few seconds, but when I came to, I saw the driver lying across the passenger with his head between the windshield and dashboard. He got up and started climbing out. The passenger unbuckled and got out on his side as well.

I had the wind knocked out of me and it took a little while for me to catch it. I managed to unbuckle but my right arm hurt and had no strength. I laid down on the rear seat for a few seconds, but there was acrid smoke in the cabin so I did not want to stay. I wasn't able to open either rear door so I had to crawl over the front seats and out the passenger door.

I walked out of the woods and up to the road where a crowd had gathered with a couple of people talking to 911.

I hope you recover from the injury and that some insurance company "makes you whole" (your insurance or his, even if they go after him for the damages). Someone other than you should be dealing with the financial burden on this one.

 

[juliusa]

I give rides, but don't let them drive. They can go to Tesla for that.

 

[Madartist]

I'm surprised to hear how many wives won't drive the Model S. Mine is the opposite. She never liked driving before...until we got the Model S. Now she would sometimes just walk over to the driver's side and announces "I'm driving!"

 

[SmartElectric]

Very sorry to hear of the plight of the OP. His experience does remind me of some gut wrenching moments from my distant past:

I've owned some fun cars and used to encourange my friends to test drive. My best friend rebuilt a 1988 Z28 over a number of years, with a very aggressive cam setup, so when I bought a new 1996 Z28 he wanted to see if it could compare to his car in a straight line. He proceeded to power shift (no clutch, matching up shift revs) his way from 1st to 5th at well over 100mph before he tamed it down. Another friend, having heard of the previous friends story decided to one up him and do a lap of the local stipmall hangout parking lot in reverse at 5000rpm before spinning my car "rockford" style into the original parking spot.

After those "fun" experiences it took me a long time to hand the car over to anyone else. But later that year when I went on an 8 week vacation, I dropped off my Z28 to my parents house and left it with them with clear instructions to drive it whenever they felt like it. When I arrived back home I found the car had gone 400km, so I figured they did a road trip. My dad noted that they filled the gas tank twice! My mom apparently never got the car out of 4th gear (it was a 6 speed), not having driven a manual transmission car with more than 4 gears in her life. I still wonder to this day how they averaged 8 miles per gallon. l-)

Anyway, my newest love is a Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, of which only a few hundred have been sold in Canada, and the wait to get a new one is 5-8 months depending on the time of year. This little car is a blast to drive, and the folks I've taken out on demonstrations have all been blown away by how quick the car is for such a small an unassuming package.

Outside of me, my wife will drive the Smart ED from time to time (and love's it), I still plan on handing it over to my soon to be 16 year old, as it is almost certain the car would get better treatment than if I were driving!

It's the rare nature of the car and the joy I get driving it that prevents me from giving it to anyone else. If I could walk to the dealer and pick one up tomorrow to replace it, I probably would feel differently... I can't imagine not having it available to drive, and lothe getting into our gas powered Mercedes SUV. The Tesla Model 3 can't come soon enough for me!

 

[Tedkidd]

What an unfortunate story. Let's keep in mind its a lightning strike. A perfect storm of events converging all at once, really heartbreaking luck.

Wow, some of you guys are pretty hard core: you don't let your spouse drive your S?

I happily let friends and neighbors I know well and feel to be responsible adults drive our S (it's technically my wife's car but I drive it a lot!) and have had no problems. I do not let strangers or people I do not know well drive it. I would trust anyone from Tesla service or sales to drive it.

Of course before letting them engage "D" I carefully explain the key differences they as a driver need to know: the braking that occurs when you back off on the go pedal, the lack of "creep" when I gear (I never turn Creep on) and the unusual placement of the turn signal stalk. After that they are good to go.

I believe you have to drive a Tesla to understand why the car is such a revolution in motoring. Just sitting in the passenger seat all you feel is that it is a big, comfortable, smooth, quiet car with a big screen. Cool, but not revolutionary.

A true brand ambassador. Nicely put.

I feel very grateful my aunt and uncle are so generous with their possessions. Stay at their homes, drive their cars, no problem. It's just stuff (exception being something possibly irreplaceable like smartelectrics car). Having the opportunity to drive a Tesla daily for some 6 weeks and hundreds of miles makes it clear it takes a little time to even get a basic understanding of such a different vehicle.

It's really hard to get the Tesla experience from a 10 minute test drive with a salesperson. It is much more convincing and meaningful from an owner, not constrained to a 10 mile loop.

Thank goodness for folks like ecarfan, they are the true accelerators of EV adoption.

 

[pete8314]

I thought the OP was a cautionary fictional tale until I read to the end. How horrible, and weird. I've allowed plenty of test drives (family, friends, business acquaintances) and everyone has been thoroughly respectful; this is not a typical experience. My wife doesn't drive the car much, but she does, and has had her own test drives with her friends. We live just off a dead-straight road, and I'm more than happy for people to gun it (though it's rare anyone really puts their foot down) once we've done a circuit to make sure there's no hazards, but nobody has dared to see how well it'll stick in the corner, that shows an incredible lack of respects for someone else's property.

It's a crazy story, and I totally get the 'trust nobody' thought, but if you know the person, and believe them to be decent, then they probably are; this was the exception.

 

[mknox]

It's just stuff...

Well, except for the passengers, and potentially other motorists and pedestrians who could get tangled up in a mess like this. There are also the long-term consequences around insurance and premiums. I watched my father for 7 years almost unable to get car insurance, and then only at an exorbitant price after my cousin wrecked his car in an at-fault accident.

 

[Teo]

I offered a quick test drive around the block.

The don't think this qualifies as a test drive. A test drive involves observation with a genuine interest to understand the qualities of the car. To me this story sounds more like a joy ride, for entertainment purposes. The driver was pushing the limits of the car to have fun.

Maybe it is a good idea to differentiate between the two. Unfortunately a lot of people are killed during these quick joy rides around the block, Paul Walker being the most known example.

 

[DEinspanjer]

Well, except for the passengers, and potentially other motorists and pedestrians who could get tangled up in a mess like this. There are also the long-term consequences around insurance and premiums. I watched my father for 7 years almost unable to get car insurance, and then only at an exorbitant price after my cousin wrecked his car in an at-fault accident.

Ugh.. this is the part that is causing me more stress than anything else. I made a mistake in judgement, and I'm paying for that with the injury, the loss of my car, and the financial repercussions. But if my insurance company decides at the end of all this that they will no longer insure me which would effectively mean I wouldn't be able to get a replacement, I'd be devastated. I'm hoping it won't come to that since I've been accident and ticket free for over a decade now, but it still keeps me up at night.

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The don't think this qualifies as a test drive. A test drive involves observation with a genuine interest to understand the qualities of the car. To me this story sounds more like a joy ride, for entertainment purposes. The driver was pushing the limits of the car to have fun.

If it were a typical ICE muscle car, I think this differentiation would be perfectly appropriate. I feel that getting a chance to drive a Tesla in particular blurs that line a bit. I've let several people drive the car that were not interested or able to go out and buy one as a result of the ride. That said, I think that convincing as many people as possible that electric cars don't have to be a compromise or a substandard drive is critical to helping them become the standard rather than the exception. When I talk to people about the fact that the Model S is a luxury sedan, I am very happy and enthusiastic to talk about how much of a game changer I believe the Model III will be when it provides a similar no compromises experience at a price that is much more plausible to more people.

It certainly seems that my intentions and the intentions of the driver were severely mismatched, but as was said above, the experience was definitely an exception rather than the typical result from my own experience or from the experience of other owners.

 

[mknox]

Ugh.. this is the part that is causing me more stress than anything else. I made a mistake in judgement, and I'm paying for that with the injury, the loss of my car, and the financial repercussions. But if my insurance company decides at the end of all this that they will no longer insure me which would effectively mean I wouldn't be able to get a replacement, I'd be devastated. I'm hoping it won't come to that since I've been accident and ticket free for over a decade now, but it still keeps me up at night.

The problem is YOU didn't do anything wrong. You were being the generous one and were unfortunately taken advantage of. I'm truly sorry if I've added to your stress with my comments. It appears that I'm the cynical bastard who won't let anyone drive my car, but it's seeing what can happen, and how at least in my area insurance can treat you, that has left me like this.

 

[omarsultan]

My wife hates the garage too. I think, however, she is really looking forward to taking a spin the in Model S -- once it's out of the garage.

My wife's the same way - she likes driving the car...once its out of the garage. I am not sure what she is going to do once the MX shows up.

 

[iadbound]

My wife's the same way - she likes driving the car...once its out of the garage. I am not sure what she is going to do once the MX shows up.

You better put a charger outside!

 

[bollar]

Ugh.. this is the part that is causing me more stress than anything else. I made a mistake in judgement, and I'm paying for that with the injury, the loss of my car, and the financial repercussions. But if my insurance company decides at the end of all this that they will no longer insure me which would effectively mean I wouldn't be able to get a replacement, I'd be devastated. I'm hoping it won't come to that since I've been accident and ticket free for over a decade now, but it still keeps me up at night.

Insurance works differently in the US and Canada, apparently.

I called USAA to ask what would happen to my policy if this happened to me. First off, it's been a long time since I have had a claim, so I could expect to receive an "accident forgiveness," which is a provision of my policy. USAA would then have an appraiser evaluate the damage and then pay the claim. From there, they would attempt to subrogate the claim to the driver's insurance.

In theory, I wouldn't receive a rate increase because of this specific event (though I would have lost my "forgiveness").

Since I don't know all aspects of this situation, I don't know if it exactly applies to you, but figured you could use a data point.

 

[mknox]

Insurance works differently in the US and Canada, apparently.

Ontario, Canada is a weird hybrid of private insurers and very strict provincially designed programs. And in my opinion, it doesn't work very well.

It used to be that your liability coverage payed for the other party's damages if you were at fault. This incented the insurance companies to work on your behalf and make sure blame was assessed correctly. Then it was changed to so-called "No Fault" coverage which is a ridiculous term because fault is absolutely assessed. The difference is that now the insurance companies don't go after each other for claims and everybody's insurance pays for their own damages. So now if you have an accident, it is in your own insurance company's advantage to find YOU at fault because they're going to pay the claims anyway, and this way they have the excuse to raise your rates.

I always felt that the car should be insured for damages like any other piece of property, but your liability coverage should be attached to your driver's license, not the car.

 

[Pollux]

Hi, @DEinspanjer,

Truly sorry for your pain; you did a nice thing and now you're paying the price. It flabbergasts me that you have made no mention of your landscaper apologizing to you in any way, shape or form; from which I infer that he hasn't; from which I flabbergast (dunno if I can really verbify that).

I can't blame anyone who does NOT let others drive their Model S. It's an expensive car; it's a *wide* car; it's a bit of a different beast. Perfectly understandable not to let strangers drive it. Or friends. Or even family.

Having said that, I'm with you, @DEinspanjer; I think it's almost a duty to show the car to other people. And best of all is to get them behind the wheel. I have let perfect strangers drive my P85+. Many people are too shy or afraid to even sit behind the wheel. Those who have driven it have been nothing but respectful and visibly grateful. Before I let someone drive, I take a picture with my phone of his/her driver's license. Perhaps that one simple act causes people to think twice before misbehaving... but I'm more inclined to believe that most people are just naturally very respectful of someone else's expensive car **that they are being allowed to drive!!**

I realize that there's a risk to letting others drive the car; and I'm sorry you had to wind up on the wrong end of that risk. But I salute you nonetheless!

Alan

P.S. I would never bother with this showing-the-car business in almost any form -- driving, showing various aspects of the car, talking about the company, etc. -- for any other car manufacturer I'm aware of in the world. I could've bought a Porsche Panamera Turbo, or an Audi RS<whatever> or S8, or whatever else is in the $80-140K range. But I'd've never thought it important to show them to anybody. C'mon, just another ICE (albeit fun). I suppose a few of my close friends, who wanted to try it out. But acquaintances? Landscapers? (Yes, I've let my landscapers drive the S!) Strangers in parking lots? Never! It would be flaunting wealth rather than spreading the Electric Vehicle Gospel. And make no mistake, all but one or two of the people I've talked to or given test drives to have focused on the electric aspect of the car rather than the cost of the vehicle.

Ugh.. this is the part that is causing me more stress than anything else. I made a mistake in judgement, and I'm paying for that with the injury, the loss of my car, and the financial repercussions. But if my insurance company decides at the end of all this that they will no longer insure me which would effectively mean I wouldn't be able to get a replacement, I'd be devastated. I'm hoping it won't come to that since I've been accident and ticket free for over a decade now, but it still keeps me up at night.

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If it were a typical ICE muscle car, I think this differentiation would be perfectly appropriate. I feel that getting a chance to drive a Tesla in particular blurs that line a bit. I've let several people drive the car that were not interested or able to go out and buy one as a result of the ride. That said, I think that convincing as many people as possible that electric cars don't have to be a compromise or a substandard drive is critical to helping them become the standard rather than the exception. When I talk to people about the fact that the Model S is a luxury sedan, I am very happy and enthusiastic to talk about how much of a game changer I believe the Model III will be when it provides a similar no compromises experience at a price that is much more plausible to more people.

It certainly seems that my intentions and the intentions of the driver were severely mismatched, but as was said above, the experience was definitely an exception rather than the typical result from my own experience or from the experience of other owners.

 

[PeterK]

Well said, Alan.

 

[dhrivnak]

If it were a typical ICE muscle car, I think this differentiation would be perfectly appropriate. I feel that getting a chance to drive a Tesla in particular blurs that line a bit. I've let several people drive the car that were not interested or able to go out and buy one as a result of the ride. That said, I think that convincing as many people as possible that electric cars don't have to be a compromise or a substandard drive is critical to helping them become the standard rather than the exception. When I talk to people about the fact that the Model S is a luxury sedan, I am very happy and enthusiastic to talk about how much of a game changer I believe the Model III will be when it provides a similar no compromises experience at a price that is much more plausible to more people.

I am very impressed with your dedication to the cause. I have let dozens of people take my car for a spin. While I still plan to offer that experience I do believe I will be more cautious in the future. It takes people like you to get the public comfortable with EV's.