Edit: I was wrong, perspective confused me.
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Model X Crash on US-101 (Mountain View, CA)
- Thread starter mookhead
- Start date
Edit: I was wrong, perspective confused me.
I drove this exact route earlier this week in my Model X 100D Year 2017 with AP2 on, I was in the second lane from the left and the car started to drift left. I took over manually to get back into the lane.
Those are all from the same Google Street View. If I "ride" the road closer, I get the same view as you linked. Note the silver car is the same car in all the shots.
It is only after you have missed all the signage that it looks like this:
They could add the white stripes in the non-lane for further visibility, as well as painting the big road numbers on the road surface, which they do down here quite a bit. Either way, I would bet it is still a barrier that gets taken out a lot if the 101 is regularly stopped and this lane is open from folks trying to skim the gap.
I remember when they changed that. The theory, I think, was that putting the soft (lined) gore point farther back would make it less likely that people would change lanes at the last minute. Unfortunately, they didn't move the sign back, which was really the most important part, so people still see the sign too late and change lanes too late.
Also, I'm pretty sure there were yellow water barrels before they redid it. That probably would have saved this guy's life, and there's even more space for them now than before. I really don't get why there aren't any at that spot.
It was intact as of about 4:50 yesterday evening, so probably.
gg_got_a_tesla
Model S: VIN 65513, Model 3: VIN 1913
This is very very sad indeed. 
Whenever I come this way and have to go on to 85, I almost always take this HOV ramp from 101 rather than have to switch many lanes over. And, yes, I most definitely have seen folks cut back onto 101 at the last second.
The challenge also is that, at least during commute hours, the left two lanes on 101 are HOV for a stretch before this left lane splits off; and, carpool folks prefer to stay in this left lane for as long as possible to go faster rather than be in the second lane, right next to really slow moving traffic - that's a little nerve wracking as you never know when someone may pop in.
To add to the mess, in the eighth of a mile or so leading up to that that fork off point, that left lane is very chewed up with significant pot holes in the middle of the lane. I literally go further left onto the shoulder to avoid those as I'm pretty sure the Tesla 21" wheels will struggle to survive those.
All in all, another reminder to be really safe out there.
Whenever I come this way and have to go on to 85, I almost always take this HOV ramp from 101 rather than have to switch many lanes over. And, yes, I most definitely have seen folks cut back onto 101 at the last second.
The challenge also is that, at least during commute hours, the left two lanes on 101 are HOV for a stretch before this left lane splits off; and, carpool folks prefer to stay in this left lane for as long as possible to go faster rather than be in the second lane, right next to really slow moving traffic - that's a little nerve wracking as you never know when someone may pop in.
To add to the mess, in the eighth of a mile or so leading up to that that fork off point, that left lane is very chewed up with significant pot holes in the middle of the lane. I literally go further left onto the shoulder to avoid those as I'm pretty sure the Tesla 21" wheels will struggle to survive those.
All in all, another reminder to be really safe out there.
My bad, I sit corrected. The perspective of the one image made me think it was a long lane, not an wedge. Post updated.
e-FTW
New electron smell
This.
I often go to Sunnyvale, and coming down 101 in HOV far left lane, you are definitely going faster than the rest of traffic, and for a few miles frankly. I definitely prefer far left in all instances of double HOV lanes. The speed differential with the “normal” lanes is just too unnerving for me.
So yes, this design takes some getting used to, and has caught me out a few times in my first trips down there. Not enough to go deep, over the single white line, but most definitely not free-flowing.
If there were many more other occurrences of a left lane leaving for somewhere else like this, between San Francisco and the South Bay, drivers would be used to it. Remember: this is not an exit you change lanes for. The whole lane takes you on 85.
So you could be in that lane for many, many miles (1 hour+ some days) without ever having to pay attention to the exit signs. And then you do.
This alone does not explain this accident at all. It could be completely unrelated to the design of this road.
Poor guy, I feel for his family right now. Happy to hear a fellow driver came to the rescue, giving him a chance.
RedOctober
Member
I’ve seen highway off ramps divided with cement barriers like the one where this accident occurred. What they did to prevent this was put up fiberglass posts wrapped in reflective material in the centre off the division leading up to the barrier. The posts are flexible and if you are not paying attention those things will get your attention quickly. With those it is less likely anyone is running in the barrier and causing an accident like this one.
Bet TSLA
Active Member
Last I checked in the CA vehicle code, single solid white lines are not even mentioned, so no legal force. Perhaps that has changed, but I don't think so.
Also, does anybody know if this X was an AP1 or AP2 car? I can't tell.
And has anybody driven this stretch with AP2 using 10.4? It might act entirely different from earlier revs of the firmware. Not likely, but certainly possible. It is, after all, a "complete rewrite" of some parts of the auto-pilot.
The have some of those on the other side of the freeway to keep people from trying to accidentally merge back onto the freeway onramp that is joined with an offramp.
It is another somewhat unusual arrangement.
They had to get a bit creative when expanding that area by adding to existing old infrastructure that had been configured differently before.
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I suppose it also could be plausible you are forced to maneuver out of your lane due to someone cutting in and them not paying attention. There have been a few occasions when that has happened to us in general on the highway. Maybe he was in the left 101 HOV and someone in the right 101 HOV decided to move over to the left and didn't see him in their blind spot. It doesn't hurt to speculate and at least gets you to think about these situations and discuss them, but I do hope they are able to get enough eye witness accounts to form a good opinion of what occured. Very sad to lose a fellow Tesla family member, especially one so young. I'm sure the ones that saw it happen and who helped extract him are shaken up by this and then learning he didn't make it.
Still think the old lane markings were much clearer and separated traffic better.
I haven't seen this video yet. Looks like the battery is just starting on fire. Looks like they got him out before the fire as the other reports stated.
Driver Dies Following Fiery Tesla Model X Crash on Hwy. 101
Driver Dies Following Fiery Tesla Model X Crash on Hwy. 101
That is an early photo. Thanks. Doesn't look like the police or fire trucks were anywhere near there yet. You can see the deployed airbags and even see he had black interior seats. The one thing you couldn't help but notice in later photos was how our Tesla seat foam doesn't burn.
As for the posts about the flexible posts, they used those in our area near a 101 on ramp. People still ran over them and I saw them broken many times. Think they ended up removing them. I've seen people stop traffic to make an illegal turn because they got in the wrong lane or by passed where they wanted to turn. The smart thing to do would be to drive ahead and make your move where it is safe and legal. Nope too many people either don't want to or are in a rush especially during early morning rush hours to lose the time. Traffic all along the bay area freeways is pretty heavy stop and go, even with metering lights on.
As for the posts about the flexible posts, they used those in our area near a 101 on ramp. People still ran over them and I saw them broken many times. Think they ended up removing them. I've seen people stop traffic to make an illegal turn because they got in the wrong lane or by passed where they wanted to turn. The smart thing to do would be to drive ahead and make your move where it is safe and legal. Nope too many people either don't want to or are in a rush especially during early morning rush hours to lose the time. Traffic all along the bay area freeways is pretty heavy stop and go, even with metering lights on.
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Xminus6
Member
Man. I know that interchange pretty well since it is on the way from my clients to my previous office. Also creepy that I drive a Blue Model X. What a shame. Seems likely that the driver was surprised to find out that he was exiting the highway rather than staying on 101. A lot of people that drive from SV to the city make a decision at that point to avoid traffic on 101. So it could be that he also decided to make a late, ill-fated decision to stay on 101 rather than divert to 85.
f-stop
Active Member
my immediate thought when I saw the photo of the impact barrier at the crash location was -- seems like a good spot for a bunch of those yellow impact barrels like they use a lot around here (Fitch barriers, I believe they're called - and filled with increasing volumes of sand, not water). Are those not commonly used in California?
@Az_Rael, that NBCBayArea report and video you linked to was very interesting saying the CHP said he was in the left car pool lane before impacting the barrier and going airborn and then being struck. Still doesn't explain if he was seen avoiding a car or making a sudden lane switch or maybe something else. The fact that a number of people heard a loud explosion and thought the car had exploded also had me wondering was the sound from the impact or the batteries catching on fire and exploding. One guy did mention sparks flying up in the air.
I am puzzled what that silver canister looking thing is still. It was there on the roadway before the fire trucks arrived on the scene. Anyone recognize that as part of the X?
I am puzzled what that silver canister looking thing is still. It was there on the roadway before the fire trucks arrived on the scene. Anyone recognize that as part of the X?
Based on personal experience, I would say sound of the impact. When I was hit at highway speeds, a resident in the area said she heard a very loud bang which is why she walked to the road to investigate.
Looks like a back pack, an orangish snorkel mouthpiece and a compressed gas cylinder. Can't find a link for that type of cylinder though. Might also be a two piece case for something else. Doubt it is part of the X, but may have come from it in terms of luggage. Or it is an EMS crash kit with O2 and mask (round bottom cylinder is not as common, but many have only top painted green).
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