The dream comes crashing down

[Scotty]

When bad things happen to people, they often turn to get through it with support from friends and family. We're here for you, and all of us are glad you're ok.

Your Tesla is only a car..... it's replaceable, you're not. After all, you might not be driving the same vehicle in the future, but you are 'locked' in to your same body.

Keep us updated through the claim process. BTW, which insurance company are you insured through?

 

[Rawad H.]

Thx I know you guys are right but it's still hard to get passed it, I'm insured with AAA in Michigan

 

[http.com]

Thx I know you guys are right but it's still hard to get passed it, I'm insured with AAA in Michigan

You'll get through this, and so will your car. Sorry to hear of this incident of course, but you're okay and life is still good. Hoping for a smooth process with your insurance company.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Was the person/people in the other car okay? The Model S can be quite the battering ram.

Good that you weren't injured, of course. And I think the Model S should be repairable.

 

[Rawad H.]

yes thankfully everyone was ok I am having a lot of anxiety about it but hopefully ill have her back as good as new.

 

[Yggdrasill]

yes thankfully everyone was ok I am having a lot of anxiety about it but hopefully ill have her back as good as new.

That's good. Everyone can make mistakes, but if one is fortunate, there aren't dire consequences. With only property damages, everything will work out fine. Stop worrying and be glad!

 

[Canuck]

Glad to hear everyone is okay. I'm sure they'll fix your car up good as new.

Does it have the new sensors and, if so, did you get any warning before the collision?

 

[Rawad H.]

my car has the new hardware and it was set on early warning with no alarm going off unfortunately. hopefully dosent come to this but when determining the worth of the car they look at it before the accident right? sorry if its a dumb question.

 

[MsElectric]

Does the collision avoidance braking only work when cruise control is on?

I thought it would assist in a situation like this and brake autonomously if a frontal crash was imminent. Does the car need to be in a certain mode for the autonomous braking to work?

 

[bluenation]

thanks for the input im leaning towards your train of thought hopefully, i will say im very impressed with the actual safety of the car. i was wearing my seat belt had the steering airbag go off and leg air bags go off. the airbags stopped right before my chest and i fell into them so little injury could of been caused by the air bags.

happy to hear you are ok

do update us with the repair or estimate progress of your vehicle. interesting to see if shops still charge outrageous amounts, or how willing the insurance ppl are in total lossing the thing.

 

[CHGolferJim]

Rule of thumb taught in drivng schools in Germany: Always keep half the speedometer value in km for distance. 40mph = 64 km/h = 32m = about seven car lengths.

I think the general recommendation in the States is a car length per 10mph, however, this is rarely accepted by drivers. If that space exists, it will usually have another car fill it.

 

[Rawad H.]

Thought I would put up more pictures

 

[vvanders]

Again mhpr your comments are not needed, thx again for your support every one I'll deffinately keep everyone posted

It's a sucky situation to be in and I feel for you but I have to say it but I'm with mhpr on this. With the proper following distance you might still have a functioning Tesla.

One car length at 40 mph is an incredibly close following distance. Average human reaction time is ~250ms, at 40 mph you're looking at around ~12.7ft before you can even lift off the gas pedal.

That's very close to a car length(14-16ft) which means that if something happens in front of you, statistically it is *not* possible to react in time.

 

[MsElectric]

So sorry for your loss. I think you mentioned that your car has the radar cruise control. Isn't part of it fully autonomous braking in the event of an impending accident? It seems this feature did not engage so is that because Tesla has not yet activated this feature?

 

[Rawad H.]

Ty for your input I think we understand that I was to close to the vehicle in front of me, auto stop only works while in TACC. I had a ranger coming out this Tuesday because my TACC was not working. I went ahead and cancelled that appointment.

 

[Ainkara]

Sucks about the car, and the accident in general, getting in an accident is never fun, and mostly terrifying.

Not to bring about a huge argument, but just to mention it, here (Australia) I was taught not to measure in distance or car lengths, because that gets confusing especially at high speeds. The general rule of thumb I was taught is 2 seconds, because that is easier for most people to estimate (pick a spot, shadow, rock, whatever, start counting when the car in front of you reaches it, stop counting when you reach it), and because it changes with your speed. I often get people sliding in to the gap I have left. I then make sure I have appropriate space from them too. It makes no difference to your travel time, and in the long run makes for a less stressful driving experience.

Not trying to rile anyone up, just thought it was a point worth saying.

 

[loganss]

I think your dream will be alive in a few weeks. I had similar damage to my car early last year but on the other side. ~$25k-$30k worth of damage. A few months after the collision center fixes your car take it into the Tesla service center and have them do a thorough inspection of the entire car for your annual inspection. They found and replaced a critical part with a hairline fracture that could have grown and caused a lot of out of pocket expenses. Keep you insurance claim number handy for a while.

 

[Jack_L]

Not to bring about a huge argument, but just to mention it, here (Australia) I was taught not to measure in distance or car lengths, because that gets confusing especially at high speeds. The general rule of thumb I was taught is 2 seconds, because that is easier for most people to estimate (pick a spot, shadow, rock, whatever, start counting when the car in front of you reaches it, stop counting when you reach it), and because it changes with your speed. I often get people sliding in to the gap I have left. I then make sure I have appropriate space from them too. It makes no difference to your travel time, and in the long run makes for a less stressful driving experience.

My two children who recently completed Driver's Education class were taught the 2 second rule. The higher the speed, the greater the gap. Thankfully nobody was injured here and hoping the OP has a smooth repair/insurance experience.

 

[smac]

My two children who recently completed Driver's Education class were taught the 2 second rule. The higher the speed, the greater the gap. Thankfully nobody was injured here and hoping the OP has a smooth repair/insurance experience.

Another vote for the 2 second rule. I did a day out with a police driving instructor, and it was 2 seconds in good conditions, 5 in rain, 10 in snow / ice

 

[Rawad H.]

Update on what actually happened, I redrove the route today in my chevy volt. I was coming down the on ramp going 40-50 mpg I looked to my left to make sure there were no cars in my lane so I could merge, I then looked ahead of me the car in front of me broke and I couldn't move in time. So turns out I was not to close to the car but she suddenly stopped right after the on ramp as I was merging.

- - - Updated - - -

And just got off the phone with the claim department from AAA he is going to come see the car in the morning he then told me. " so I don't no what car this is could you tell me a little about it and what it is made of"? I chuckled to myself a little then told him about it and that it would have to be towed 170 miles to the nearest certified collision shop.