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Accident for unable to brake efficiently: Tesla's or my fault? [early 2020]

Who is at fault?

  • Me

  • Tesla

  • Hard to tell


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I'm glad some people get what I'm saying. I'm not saying the Hyundai driver is in any way 'at fault' in our litigious society. Just saying that were it me, I'd take some self-preservation responsibility and be aware of what is going on around me. It appears like an avoidable bumper-thumper by simply using some additional space available. Should Hyundai drive 'have to' legally do this? Of course not. Would I? Certainly.
You're trying to suggest that at every stoplight, drivers should switch on the rear-view camera and be prepared to launch their car into the intersection, hoping that in an attempt to reduce a rear-end collision they don't cause another collision?
Doesn't sound practical to me.
 
You're trying to suggest that at every stoplight, drivers should switch on the rear-view camera and be prepared to launch their car into the intersection, hoping that in an attempt to reduce a rear-end collision they don't cause another collision?
Doesn't sound practical to me.
I think he is suggesting Tesla "Rear Collision Avoidance"
Tesla rear collision avoidance continuously monitors approaching rear vehicles and will attempt to avoid or lessen rear impact forces where possible. Tesla rear collision avoidance will not activate for motorcycles
Of course there is no such thing.
 
After being rear-ended twice, not in a Tesla, I'm always ready to engage my manual "rear collision avoidance" maneuver. It has prevented a third incident over the past 10 years or so. Just watch your rear view mirror and be ready to give the idiot behind you a few more feet if required. Also, get in the habit of giving yourself 10-15 feet of space in front of your car until you're certain the guy behind you is not a danger. Then you can creep up closer to allow more cars on the street behind you.
 
You're trying to suggest that at every stoplight, drivers should switch on the rear-view camera and be prepared to launch their car into the intersection, hoping that in an attempt to reduce a rear-end collision they don't cause another collision?
Doesn't sound practical to me.
Doesn't sound practical to be aware of what's going on around you when driving? YES! EVERY STOPLIGHT! EVERY MINUTE OF DRIVING!

I'm in the minority here - I'll own that. I guess it surprises me 0% if this is a slice of the general driving public.

Edit: to be clear - your rear view mirror works without bringing up the camera.
 
You're trying to suggest that at every stoplight, drivers should switch on the rear-view camera and be prepared to launch their car into the intersection, hoping that in an attempt to reduce a rear-end collision they don't cause another collision?
Doesn't sound practical to me.
I don't know about you, but I'm always aware of the vehicles around me, and as soon as I start slowing for a light, I glance in my rearview mirror, to see if the car behind is paying attention. Glancing in your 3 mirrors is something you should be doing every 20 secs or so. After a while, it's a habit. Takes no time, and when you're in a pickle, you instinctively know where your bailout zone is, even if you consciously aren't thinking about it.

As I mentioned above, I got rear-ended 30 yrs ago in Chicago. And, since then, I've avoided getting rear-ended on a freeway in Philly, by being able to pull into the left breakdown lane. The car behind me, wasn't so quick, slammed into the car ahead of me. An accident can be life-altering. Potentially avoiding an accident is worth the little trouble of glancing in the rearview mirror whenever I slow down.
 
I assume that the driver behind me is paying attention, knows how to drive, and insured.. Since all three are required to legally drive in the USA, I feel that's a safe assumption. If that driver happens to not be paying attention, I have an aggressive insurance agency. I'm not sitting in my car worried every moment (oh no - is the driver behind me slowing down fast enough?) Sorry, driving shouldn't such a stressful experience, especially when the car is doing most of the work.
Remember: You're driving a Tesla. Your car will literally give it's life to keep yours.
 
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Hey all, I've got into a small accident couple months ago and hope we can discuss about this.

Dash cam recording goes first:
(I only blurred the license plate for privacy concerns. Nothing else edited, for example speed, resolution, color, etc)

This rear end accident happened last year, and luckily nobody was hurt. My Tesla insurance covered this, and I told them the brake was not working as intended right after the accident. I also called Tesla roadside assistance & service center to report this malfunction, and they promised I would get an investigation result within 8 weeks. Not surprisingly that didn't happen. So I'm still wondering who is at fault in this accident, because it seems obvious to me that the brake wasn't right. Or maybe I could be wrong and need to be more careful in similar situations.

Here're some key conclusions:

1. The road was wet but not raining when it happened, actually it showered in the morning and stopped about half an hour ago. Temperature was around 50°F - 70°F (10°C - 20°C), speed limit is 35mph.
2. My Model 3 LR AWD was very new with 2000 miles on it. It has the original 18'' aero wheels & tires. Manual driving all the time, no autopilot involved.
3. I started to brake right after I see the red light & front car slowing down, with regen first and then immediately pushed brake pedal hard. I pushed as hard as I could and it still hit the front car.
4. The wheel was making deep clicking sound, indicating ABS triggered, but car just won't slow down and tire is making abrasive sound.
5. No collision warning, no auto braking or any other safety features triggered (I enabled all safety features).
6. Brake & regen still working after the accident. Have't tried braking hard though as I don't trust it any more.

Welcome to share your opinions. Thanks in advance!
After watching the video carefully it shows the other cars brake lights coming on in plenty of time. You pass the car on the left as it’s braking and after your front end is in front of the car you overtook on the left your car brakes enough to cause the cars nose to dive as shown in the video dipping forwards.
My opinion is you just were not quite as quick on the brakes as the others. Only you can say why for sure. If the brakes were juddering with abs use as you say and you were braking then you would of had plenty of time to take avoiding action to the right.
I don’t mean to point the finger as I am sure we have all done it, however you did ask for an opinion.
 
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There seems to be two drivers in la la land in this video. OP braked too late for sure. However, the lead car driver should have some situational awareness and notice the car in the rear view mirror coming in hot. There does not appear to be any pedestrians near the crosswalk and plenty of room to creep forward to allow more space for the Tesla driver to stop without collision.
Defensive driving is the best kind of driving. You can't control other drivers, but you can keep yourself aware of what they are doing. Maybe that's the motorcyclist in me.
There seems to be two drivers in la la land in this video. OP braked too late for sure. However, the lead car driver should have some situational awareness and notice the car in the rear view mirror coming in hot. There does not appear to be any pedestrians near the crosswalk and plenty of room to creep forward to allow more space for the Tesla driver to stop without collision.
Defensive driving is the best kind of driving. You can't control other drivers, but you can keep yourself aware of what they are doing. Maybe that's the motorcyclist in me.
Good point, as a motorcycle driver you soon figure out that wet roads vary considerably. You may have oil, it may of been dry for a prolonged time with high temps causing the tar to give up some oil it then rains and it’s so slippery, white lines, tar seal in the road with no aggregate, new tyres, oil on tyres from the last 1/4 mile of driving. Oh I am a driver of 35 years both on road off road bikes and cars. You gain the most experience from your mistakes.
 
I assume that the driver behind me is paying attention, knows how to drive, and insured.. Since all three are required to legally drive in the USA, I feel that's a safe assumption. If that driver happens to not be paying attention, I have an aggressive insurance agency. I'm not sitting in my car worried every moment (oh no - is the driver behind me slowing down fast enough?) Sorry, driving shouldn't such a stressful experience, especially when the car is doing most of the work.
Remember: You're driving a Tesla. Your car will literally give it's life to keep yours.
Great, but even if the person behind you has all of those things, we KNOW how long it takes to repair our lovely Teslas, and there's no compensation for that. And no insurance company or doctor or treatment is going to completely repair the damage of whiplash or worse.

Why do you assume checking your mirrors is stressful or worrying, it's the way you're supposed to drive. I don't constantly worry about anything. I drive the way people are supposed to drive. When I took Driver's Ed, I was taught you looked in your mirrors every 20secs or so. When I slow, I spend a fraction of a second checking my rearview mirror, particularly if I'm driving a car that can brake faster than your average vehicle. In Winter, not everyone is driving with winter tires. If I brake hard, with my snow tires, the person behind may not have snows. You're not going to glance in your mirror? You're going to trust your "aggressive insurance agency"? You'd rather get hit and have to wait for your Tesla to get repaired? You'd rather go to the hospital for care and treatment? Totally nonsensical.
 
Great, but even if the person behind you has all of those things, we KNOW how long it takes to repair our lovely Teslas, and there's no compensation for that. And no insurance company or doctor or treatment is going to completely repair the damage of whiplash or worse.

Why do you assume checking your mirrors is stressful or worrying, it's the way you're supposed to drive. I don't constantly worry about anything. I drive the way people are supposed to drive. When I took Driver's Ed, I was taught you looked in your mirrors every 20secs or so. When I slow, I spend a fraction of a second checking my rearview mirror, particularly if I'm driving a car that can brake faster than your average vehicle. In Winter, not everyone is driving with winter tires. If I brake hard, with my snow tires, the person behind may not have snows. You're not going to glance in your mirror? You're going to trust your "aggressive insurance agency"? You'd rather get hit and have to wait for your Tesla to get repaired? You'd rather go to the hospital for care and treatment? Totally nonsensical.

You're suggesting I sit at every intersection staring at my rear view camera, poised to launch myself 5-10 feet forward in case the guy behind me doesn't stop in time? And hoping that I don't in the process cause another accident?

Want to know the safest way to protect yourself from being injured from a rear ending? Have your brakes applied. If the brakes are applied your car absorbs the impact and whiplash is greatly reduced. The car suffers more damage with this approach, but passengers experience less damage.

My car is beautiful, but it's also replaceable and specifically designed to absorb damage. My life isn't replaceable. I can't even upgrade the computer in this human body ;-}
 
You're suggesting I sit at every intersection staring at my rear view camera, poised to launch myself 5-10 feet forward in case the guy behind me doesn't stop in time? And hoping that I don't in the process cause another accident?

Want to know the safest way to protect yourself from being injured from a rear ending? Have your brakes applied. If the brakes are applied your car absorbs the impact and whiplash is greatly reduced. The car suffers more damage with this approach, but passengers experience less damage.

My car is beautiful, but it's also replaceable and specifically designed to absorb damage. My life isn't replaceable. I can't even upgrade the computer in this human body ;-}
Dude,if you're just going to deliberately misinterpret whatever anyone writes, in order to suit your answer, you should just avoid the internet.

As for your answer, it's wrong. If you want to lessen the impact of whiplash, release your brake. Don't take my word for it, but ask anyone who knows a little physics.
 
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