Since we are posting crash stories…Plaid S Idiot

[JHCCAZ]

Commonly available motorcycles have rocket-like acceleration compared to most cars, and the skills required to pilot the motorcycles are less common then normal driving skills. And of course motorcycle accidents are far more likely to be fatal than passenger car crashes.

I've also heard it said that a shockingly high percentage of accidents occur soon after owning the motorcycle, including many accidents on the first drive home from the dealership.

However very very few of these are publicized. The only saving grace is that the most vulnerable person is the motorcycle driver, much less so someone in a house at the end of the road. That's obviously the saddest part of this story.

 

[Microterf]

It is horrible that the lady lost her life. Obviously I sucks for the occupants of the car as well, but sitting in your living room, the last thing you expect is to die from a car crashing through the wall.

The article makes it sound like the car was airborne all the way until it impacted the residence. That's just insane.

Clearly he didn't know the road or he'd be expecting it to dead end. I wonder if there is any doorbell footage from any of the houses nearby.

Speeding is like shooting where you need to know what is behind what you're shooting at. Take as many unknown factors out of play as possible.

 

[helvio]

Me thinks .GOV needs to step in and start limiting acceleration and power on vehicles. Does anyone need >400hp in a car (not truck)? We're at insane levels of top speed and acceleration now. Before mid 5s was considered fast, now we don't talk about fast until we are in the 3 second range. Bonkers and dangerous for the road. I'm no fan of big brother but there has to be a plateau somewhere.

We don't need cars, in fact, horses are safer:

Transportation Fatalities by Mode | Bureau of Transportation Statistics

KEY: N = data does not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised; U = data are not available.

www.bts.gov

0 accidents! Not even a mention!

Ban every transportation mode > 1 horse power? Pun intended.

 

[Daniel in SD]

We don't need cars, in fact, horses are safer:

Transportation Fatalities by Mode | Bureau of Transportation Statistics

KEY: N = data does not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised; U = data are not available.

www.bts.gov

Horses are by far the deadliest domesticated animal...
They kill about 100 people per year in the US. People just don't use them on public roads very often.

 

[helvio]

Horses are by far the deadliest domesticated animal...
They kill about 100 people per year in the US. People just don't use them on public roads very often.

Yeah, but that's mostly related to sports/leisure with horses, not horses as transportation.

 

[MY1stEV]

Me thinks .GOV needs to step in and start limiting acceleration and power on vehicles. Does anyone need >400hp in a car (not truck)? We're at insane levels of top speed and acceleration now. Before mid 5s was considered fast, now we don't talk about fast until we are in the 3 second range. Bonkers and dangerous for the road. I'm no fan of big brother but there has to be a plateau somewhere.

I remember a story a while back about the Nissan GT-R being performance locked based on GPS coordinates. (I believe it was in Japan) By default the car was limited to a certain top speed, but if it was at a GPS location recognized to be a race track, then the speed limiter was removed.

 

[bandido]

I think the take home message is that the Plaid is very fast. The average Tesla owners prior car was unlikely a Mclaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or Bugatti, more likely Acura, Lexus, etc. Few have likely ever owned real performance cars, yet alone a 9 sec car with average brakes and 5000lbs to stop. I worry we will see many more fatalities without some common sense. I have driven fast cars my whole life and thought my Performance S was fast, but the Plaid is 20 mph faster in the quarter, people need to really respect the power and be cautious when flexing.

 

[Spuzzz]

Me thinks .GOV needs to step in and start limiting acceleration and power on vehicles. Does anyone need >400hp in a car (not truck)? We're at insane levels of top speed and acceleration now. Before mid 5s was considered fast, now we don't talk about fast until we are in the 3 second range. Bonkers and dangerous for the road. I'm no fan of big brother but there has to be a plateau somewhere.

This will not be a popular opinion amongst tesla owners or anyone else in America. We could enforce your new motor law with giant, gleaming alloy air cars, 2 lanes wide. I’ll escape with my Red BarTesla.

 

[Dan D.]

This will not be a popular opinion amongst tesla owners or anyone else in America. We could enforce your new motor law with giant, gleaming alloy air cars, 2 lanes wide. I’ll escape with my Red BarTesla.

May have to modify a few of the other lines, as you started it!

I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car
A brilliant red PlaidTesla, from a better, vanished time
Fire up the willing software, responding with a whine!
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime...

Wind in my hair -
FSD is drifting -
Mechanical soundfile
Adrenaline surge -

Well-weathered pleather
Hot metal, no oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome-delete
The blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

 

[kaffine]

IDEA: require Plaid buyers take an intro class at Drag Strip - Helmut, fire protection clothes (Strip owners get to pitch to new possible Plaid owner about drag racing. Do Drag Strips do this Introductions for Hot Rod cars ?

Business idea for Drag Strip owners to offer (includes Helmut, protective gear rental 1st runs single (no competition) to help with safety. Anyway, I think you get the idea. passengers, if allowed would also need protective gear rental.

Can you actually run a Plaid at a drag strip or is it too fast and requires a roll bar?

It has been a while since I did anything with drag racing and don't remember the speed that requires a roll cage. I do remember one truck that got kicked out after his first run and was told not to come back until a roll bar or cage was installed.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Can you actually run a Plaid at a drag strip or is it too fast and requires a roll bar?

It has been a while since I did anything with drag racing and don't remember the speed that requires a roll cage. I do remember one truck that got kicked out after his first run and was told not to come back until a roll bar or cage was installed.

You can run it at least once:

It would be nice if Tesla added a selectable speed limiter when in drag strip mode to prevent the car from going too fast.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Can you actually run a Plaid at a drag strip or is it too fast and requires a roll bar?

It has been a while since I did anything with drag racing and don't remember the speed that requires a roll cage. I do remember one truck that got kicked out after his first run and was told not to come back until a roll bar or cage was installed.

Looks like the limit is 135mph, so yes. The Plaid can even trap over 150mph at which point you're required to use a parachute.

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

This will not be a popular opinion amongst tesla owners or anyone else in America. We could enforce your new motor law with giant, gleaming alloy air cars, 2 lanes wide. I’ll escape with my Red BarTesla.

But isn’t the Plaid pretty much a crossover between the Modern Safety Car (big and heavy) and the Red Barchetta (small and fast)?

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

May have to modify a few of the other lines, as you started it!

I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car
A brilliant red PlaidTesla, from a better, vanished time
Fire up the willing software, responding with a whine!
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime...

Wind in my hair -
FSD is drifting -
Mechanical soundfile
Adrenaline surge -

Well-weathered pleather
Hot metal, no oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome-delete
The blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

Ok i need to go out and drive now!

 

[ThomasD]

The one thing that these accidents will do is make insuring these cars harder and harder/very expensive

 

[idriveacar]

The one thing that these accidents will do is make insuring these cars harder and harder/very expensive

The only people who can afford these cars as they are priced today should know better.

 

[Brando]

TESLA has the Data --AND in some markets they sell insurance too.

 

[Spuzzz]

But isn’t the Plaid pretty much a crossover between the Modern Safety Car (big and heavy) and the Red Barchetta (small and fast)?

Ha I love your screen name. Did you just change it to that in response to my post or just complete coincidence that you ran across it?

 

[JHCCAZ]

The one thing that these accidents will do is make insuring these cars harder and harder/very expensive

Insurance companies and their actuaries are quite good at assessing real risk They typically don't lower rates due to false perceptions of safety and they don't raise rates due to false perceptions of danger.

To the extent that the contention in these forums is true, that Tesla accident stories are blown out of proportion in the media, I think there is a low probability of bad coverage showing up as unjustified high Insurance costs.

There is competition in the insurance industry, and if there's an opportunity to sell insurance profitably to a low risk group, it will not destroy that opportunity by raising rates. They don't have to pay out for bad news coverage, only for real accident claims.

On the other hand, if the Plaid model does have a proportionately high accident rate stemming from idiots showing off, then it won't take them long to reflect that in the insurance price.

 

[waterfrontray]

Travis, "The owner" was not driving and not wearing his seat belt. He let his friend drive it and and he crashed and killed the owner Travis. Travis was well liked in the Tarpon Springs / Palm Harbor area. He is a tragic accident that should / could have been avoided. not the cars fault...