Rear facing Seat

[DFibRL8R]

That is one picture that I didn't see in the original thread. With that height difference, it seems that it is above the level of the bumper and negates a major part of the ability of the rear bumper to absorb the energy of the impact. Instead the energy got transferred to parts of the car which are much less reinforced (rear hatch frame) than the boron steel bumper.

Yes, unfortunately the extra ground clearance for the SUV equates to a mismatch in bumper so the forces did not strike the Model S where they are designed to. But I'm sure the driver had a good reason to own a vehicle designed to clear deep snow or go over curbs on a freeway in LA.

 

[bro1999]

This was posted in the other thread on this and shows the extent of "override" (not roll over) which occurred.View attachment 191335

Holy mother of.....thank god no one was sitting in the rear hatch as well.

 

[mrjedistud]

I have the RFS and have had one of my kids sitting back there 2-3 times since I got the car. While I feel that it is safe, there is that small part of me that is concerned. I use the RFS in a pinch when we have an extra passenger but not on a regular basis.

Are you less concerned about getting t-boned or hit head on? Those are far more likely to happen.

I agree those are more likely, but there are also crumple zones and airbags to mitigate some of those impact. I do not believe there is an airbag for a rear impact. It may unfortunately come down to odds. Low risk of severe rear impact but with higher consequences.

As I mentioned, I will use the RFS on an as needed basis but not for everyday use. Just my personal choice.

 

[David29]

This is just my opinion. If it saves a parent the loss of a child, I'll have done my job. Today, Monday August 15th 2016 there was a Tesla Model S rear ended on the 405 in Westminster. Unfortunately, there were injuries, and a seven year old girl did not make it. Her 13 year old sister is in the hospital along with their father. I am writing about this because I have 4 children that I love and care for. They are my life. For years, I have been writing about how unsafe I believe the rear facing seats are and warning who ever will listen, not to get a car with them or place kids in them. Although I do not know which seat the child was in, rear facing or backseat, it is clear from the pictures, thet no one could have survived had they been in the rear facing seats. Right now, my thoughts are with the parents, and the grief that they must be going thru.

7-year-old girl dies, 13-year-old in critical condition after 405 freeway crash

This was indeed a tragic accident, as are all collisions that result in death or serious injury.

My question to the OP is, are you also campaigning against other car manufacturers that use third row seats? I know that Mercedes still offers station wagons with 3rd row rear-facing seats, and I know that Volvo did for a long time. Both Mercedes and Volvo are well-known for safety consciousness -- how does the Tesla design compare to those? There may be other manufacturers as well, especially for vehicles not sold in the US. For that matter, what about 3rd row forward-facing seats in various other types of cars, wagons, crossovers, SUVs -- are they all viewed as somewhat more hazardous than other seat positions? Should they be prohibited? And if we are to have that discussion, I would suggest that we need some facts that seem to be missing from this discussion so far, namely what are the actual statistics on deaths and injuries in various seating positions. E.g., it could be that 3rd row seats are safer in certain types of collisions (further from the point of impact in a head-on collision) or that the safety of seats depends more on distance from the front or rear, or body design, or any of a number of factors, than on row position itself.

So I very much appreciate the OP's concern for the safety of his children and others, and there may indeed be a valid point to be made about the relative safety of various seating positions, but I think a data-based discussion would be more useful than to speculate and argue without hard facts. I wonder if the IIHS or NHTSA has any stats on this type of thing that would be publicly available?

 

[tinanbran]

This was indeed a tragic accident, as are all collisions that result in death or serious injury.

My question to the OP is, are you also campaigning against other car manufacturers that use third row seats? I know that Mercedes still offers station wagons with 3rd row rear-facing seats, and I know that Volvo did for a long time. Both Mercedes and Volvo are well-known for safety consciousness -- how does the Tesla design compare to those? There may be other manufacturers as well, especially for vehicles not sold in the US. For that matter, what about 3rd row forward-facing seats in various other types of cars, wagons, crossovers, SUVs -- are they all viewed as somewhat more hazardous than other seat positions? Should they be prohibited? And if we are to have that discussion, I would suggest that we need some facts that seem to be missing from this discussion so far, namely what are the actual statistics on deaths and injuries in various seating positions. E.g., it could be that 3rd row seats are safer in certain types of collisions (further from the point of impact in a head-on collision) or that the safety of seats depends more on distance from the front or rear, or body design, or any of a number of factors, than on row position itself.

So I very much appreciate the OP's concern for the safety of his children and others, and there may indeed be a valid point to be made about the relative safety of various seating positions, but I think a data-based discussion would be more useful than to speculate and argue without hard facts. I wonder if the IIHS or NHTSA has any stats on this type of thing that would be publicly available?

Couldn't agree with that statement more....... Also the family involved did put up a post on the forums about how his car was "NOT" equipped with the third row and did not therefore have the reinforcement in the rear.

 

[JPP]

Couldn't agree with that statement more....... Also the family involved did put up a post on the forums about how his car was "NOT" equipped with the third row and did not therefore have the reinforcement in the rear.

Again, the issue here is that the high stance of the Tahoe overrode the Model S rear bumper. Third row RFS or not, additional bumper reinforcement or not, the outcome would have been the same. And if a Volvo or MBZ was struck by a similar vehicle in a similar manner, would they have held up any better?

 

[mmccord]

If it was a smart car I don't think the driver would have been posting online about it afterwards...