Model 3 Accident, Is this car really safe to drive?

[Gavyne]

Let me clear this up:
1. After further review I believe the car is safe, maybe the safest on the road (forgive me for insinuating otherwise)
2. The car did not cause the accident, my immediate medical condition did, it came on suddenly as I stated
3. The car is in the shop now and I will continue to drive it when it is repaired;
4. As an Engineer, I am interested in what did/did not happen...right or wrong;
5. I bought the car in the first place because as an Engineer I am intrigued by the overall technology, I just have questions.
6. and for those of you who say "he made poor/bad decisions", keep in mind this went from mild pain to debilitating pain in a flash, the last thing I remember before blacking out is thinking I need to pull over and call my wife to pick me up. I attempted to pull off the roadway when the blackout occurred.

Thank you for the clarification, bravo. I only doubted you due to your original post and thread title. But now that we know how you feel, I do hope you get some of the answers you are seeking. Cheers.

 

[JeffK]

There is simply no pleasing this guy. It is obviously a nonsense argument and this guys level of entitlement is off the charts. The original post was inflammatory and there is no way outside of a subpoena to get the data. Even if he had the data he would not be able to interpret it outside a gigantic lawsuit. The US government has already answered the question regarding how safe the car is. I have had a few accidents in various Tesla models and the car has always protected me from guys that drive and suddenly pass out like this guy did.

I don't believe the original post was inflammatory, at all, and he doesn't come across as entitled in any way. He stated the facts, then went on to state his opinions and feelings about the accident. Like many people involved in accidents which look bad but where airbags didn't go off, questioned whether or not the airbags should have gone off. Most people in this situation would do the same thing, as society has told the general public that airbags should always go off in accidents (which is not really the case).

The Tesla data is pretty easy to interpret assuming you get a human readable printout. We've seen some crash data before like in that 2016 accident involving the semi where the data Tesla grabbed was included in the official report. It showed speeds, steering wheel angles, pedal positions, etc.

I don't know what the new event data recorder reports look like but Tesla says you can get them using the instructions here: Event Data Recorder but it'll cost $1000 to get the hardware. You definitely don't need a subpoena though.

If you keep getting in accidents, I might suggest a defensive driving course instead of blaming others.

 

[Daniel in SD]

I think this forum contributes to this by making grandiose claims like “the car saved your life” and “safest car on the road”. You got in a minor accident and the airbags didn’t go off. For some reason every accident posted on this forum has people claiming absurd speeds and miraculous safety.

 

[Bet TSLA]

Huh, didn't know that was available when I had an accident last year. Any chance the data will still be there?

When I talked to Tesla about it, I was told the EDR data just stays there unless it is intentionally removed. So I suspect your accident records are still available. I would confirm that with Tesla before shelling out any $ for cables and such.

 

[Olds442]

glad you are okay.

let us know what you find out about the bags deployment, or non-deployment in this case. thanks and be safe.

 

[bigroccrek]

I don't believe the original post was inflammatory, at all, and he doesn't come across as entitled in any way. He stated the facts, then went on to state his opinions and feelings about the accident. Like many people involved in accidents which look bad but where airbags didn't go off, questioned whether or not the airbags should have gone off. Most people in this situation would do the same thing, as society has told the general public that airbags should always go off in accidents (which is not really the case).

The Tesla data is pretty easy to interpret assuming you get a human readable printout. We've seen some crash data before like in that 2016 accident involving the semi where the data Tesla grabbed was included in the official report. It showed speeds, steering wheel angles, pedal positions, etc.

I don't know what the new event data recorder reports look like but Tesla says you can get them using the instructions here: Event Data Recorder but it'll cost $1000 to get the hardware. You definitely don't need a subpoena though.

If you keep getting in accidents, I might suggest a defensive driving course instead of blaming others.

I have been driving since 1975 and this is my very first accident....knock on wood.

 

[wcorey]

When I talked to Tesla about it, I was told the EDR data just stays there unless it is intentionally removed. So I suspect your accident records are still available. I would confirm that with Tesla before shelling out any $ for cables and such.

I don't know what the new event data recorder reports look like but Tesla says you can get them using the instructions here: Event Data Recorder but it'll cost $1000 to get the hardware.

That's a pretty steep price for questionably usable knowledge.

 

[George II]

I was in an accident on Tuesday 18 December at approximately 12:30 pm while driving my Model 3. I experienced a medical emergency which caused me to completely black out while driving. I am seriously concerned about what did and did not happen as a result of the accident. First my Model 3 left the roadway after I became unconscious and struck a telephone pole. I do not know how fast I was traveling at the time of the collision with the pole but I do know the car was crumpled half way to the firewall.

None of the airbags deployed, not one. How can a front end collision of this magnitude not result in any airbags deploying. The car also never alerted Tesla that an accident had occurred?? I confirmed this by speaking to the Tesla Service Center and they reviewed the data pulled from the car. They said all they were getting is that some “secondary systems” were reported malfunctions.

Now I need to determine if the car is repairable or not and then decide if I even want the car. I purchased the Tesla for several reasons, one of the biggest being it’s safety rating but I have serious concerns about the “real” safety.

I am really uncomfortable driving the Tesla in the future with my family inside if the safety systems do not function.

I would like to escalate this accident to someone who can provide answers. Both people I spoke to at the Service Center after seeing the pictures said that absolutely the airbags should have deployed and absolutely an accident message should have been transmitted to Tesla.

I would also think that Tesla would be very interested in finding out why they car did not function properly.

Did you determine what caused you to black out? If not are you still driving? If so do you not think your being very irresponsible endangering others on the road?

 

[gilscales]

Did you determine what caused you to black out? If not are you still driving? If so do you not think your being very irresponsible endangering others on the road?

Did you read post #6 on page one?, if you read post #6 in this thread would you be asking this 2nd question? I take it by your 3rd question that you did not read post #6 then?

 

[bigroccrek]

Did you determine what caused you to black out? If not are you still driving? If so do you not think your being very irresponsible endangering others on the road?

The blackout was caused by the intense pain from a burst appendix. I am still driving, thank you and I do not think I am being irresponsible. I have no history of blackouts and have had none since the accident. I confirmed with the surgeon after my surgery that it is not uncommon to blackout from the intense pain caused by a burst appendix.

I am doing much better thanks for asking.

 

[bigroccrek]

Did you read post #6 on page one?, if you read post #6 in this thread would you be asking this 2nd question? I take it by your 3rd question that you did not read post #6 then?

Thank you!

 

[whatthe2]

The blackout was caused by the intense pain from a burst appendix. I am still driving, thank you and I do not think I am being irresponsible. I have no history of blackouts and have had none since the accident. I confirmed with the surgeon after my surgery that it is not uncommon to blackout from the intense pain caused by a burst appendix.

I am doing much better thanks for asking.

Pay no attention to people that can’t be bothered to read a post before commenting. Their opinions don’t mean squat.

Glad you are doing better.

 

[bigroccrek]

Pay no attention to people that can’t be bothered to read a post before commenting. Their opinions don’t mean squat.

Glad you are doing better.

Thank You!

 

[mkcmem]

Yes you will still get the credit since you purchased it while the full credit was still available.

 

[apsen]

Yes you will still get the credit since you purchased it while the full credit was still available.

Just be aware that this is limited by your tax liability. It is possible to get bigger tax credit by buying the second car in 2019 than both in 2018 (if your tax liability is under 11250).

 

[wcorey]

Their opinions don’t mean squat.

Truth be told, nobody's opinion on here means squat.
There are people on here, and in real life, that pontificate profusely on subject they know nothing about. Unfortunately, there are also people on here, and real life, that do talk knowledgeably on subjects they are expert in. The problem is, they don't come with signs.

 

[whatthe2]

Truth be told, nobody's opinion on here means squat.
There are people on here, and in real life, that pontificate profusely on subject they know nothing about. Unfortunately, there are also people on here, and real life, that do talk knowledgeably on subjects they are expert in. The problem is, they don't come with signs.

Great point.

 

[TT97]

Great point.

How do I know your knowledgeable or just pontificating profusely?

 

[tlr1000]

Wow, that's a horrible accident but glad you fared ok. So to get back to the 2 questions:

1) Are Tesla's are supposed to do an alert when in an accident? If so, then definitely a problem in this case as that was a fairly significant impact. If not, that would be a great feature/service for Tesla to implement but not sure if it's economically feasible.

2) Would injuries have been lessened if airbags deployed? If airbag deployment would have lessened injuries, then definitely your car (and maybe others) have a serious problem. If airbag deployment would have caused more harm than good, then maybe the system was working as it should.

 

[wcorey]

Are Tesla's are supposed to do an alert when in an accident? If so, then definitely a problem in this case as that was a fairly significant impact. If not, that would be a great feature/service for Tesla to implement but not sure if it's economically feasible.

I believe you're thinking of OnStar which is a GM thing. Tesla did agree to publish safety numbers quarterly. But that's a PR thing. How many miles driven accident free vs how many miles driven in trips ending in accidents. Last numbers I saw were twice the national avg of accident free miles.

In that particular accident, nobody died, nobody was injured. You could actually read the entire thread ya know.