Teslas crash more than gas-powered cars. Here’s why

[fholbert]

Mostly a Tesla thing​

That suggests there may be something about Teslas that’s causing people to crash more than other cars. But LexisNexis researchers had previously noticed similar trends in China, where there are many more EVs – including more that aren’t Teslas.

The increase in incidents is highest during the first year or so after drivers get the new electric vehicle, but then tapers off after that, according to LexisNexis, presumably as people get used to driving the new model. There is much less of a problem when a driver changes from a gasoline-powered vehicle to another gas-powered one, they found.

Story Here: https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/18/business/why-do-people-keep-crashing-teslas/index.html

 

[BigNick]

Many tasks that can be done with physical controls in other cars, which can be performed via touch alone, require using the touchscreen in a Tesla. Rental cars can be somewhat unfamiliar to the driver to start with, but having to use the touchscreen takes focus off the road for a longer period of time.

Add in monster torque and the ability to build speed quickly. Even the "slower" Teslas are faster 0-60 than the average ICEr.

 

[shahryaran]

So you are telling the problem is human error.

 

[XPsionic]

Lots of people have learned to have very little finesse with the gas pedal in ICE cars. Especially in slower economy cars where you could repeatedly stab and release the gas pedal without a whole lot happening. Everyone knows someone who drives by stabbing the throttle, then coasting (even lightly braking!), then stabbing the throttle again.

Without some self awareness and discipline, it's much harder to drive smoothly in a Tesla for that type of driver. Combine that with no engine noise, features like one pedal drive and stop, I'm not surprised at all that some parts of the population make mistakes in their first year transitioning to a EV.

 

[cbdream99]

It doesn't surprise me with these observations.

The instant torque is tempting and driver may not be able to react in certain situation. With a slower car, driver won't even try or able to get into that situation. Interesting thing when it talks about switching between EV and ICE, I think that is a good point. I have switched to ICE while my car is in the body shop, in the first few days, I really need to adjust especially I am so used to FSD on the highway, the first drive is actually somewhat scary to me on busy always construction interstate here during rush hours. The other point is once you got used to FSD, I found the alertness/fast reaction waned away. I remembered at one time the FSD panic and gave up after seeing an accident in the front and I am slower than usual to react .. talking about 1-2 seconds but that may prove to be critical in other cases.

On day during the cold spell, I was leaving the back alley and stopped before merging in the main road, an old lady bundled up and walking her dog with her head down, she almost ran into my fender, I have to honk her to stop .. guess she didn't hear anything.

 

[dusty22]

One thing related to enhanced safety that I haven't seen mentioned. When a driver removes their foot from the accelerator pedal to quickly brake, the car is already braking before the foot reaches the brake pedal due to regenerative braking; saving a split second that could mean the difference between a collision and a near miss.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Chevrolet Bolts have low insurance losses according to Insurance losses by make and model .

Perhaps there is a Tesla specific thing with UI differences.

But there may also be driver demographic differences.

 

[fholbert]

I think a lot of the higher accident rate has to do with regeneration.

The driver hits a slick spot on the road (rain, snow or ice) and does what they were taught to to.

When the driver lets off the accelerator regen kicks in (same as braking) and the back end passes the front end. You're headed for the guard rail.

 

[XPsionic]

I think a lot of the higher accident rate has to do with regeneration.

The driver hits a slick spot on the road (rain, snow or ice) and does what they were taught to to.

View attachment 1010555​

When the driver lets off the accelerator regen kicks in (same as braking) and the back end passes the front end. You're headed for the guard rail.

To those who think this is just some FUD, check this out:

I've asked a lot of Tesla owners in snowy climates about their feedback on regen on ice and snow. It seem to me that most are very happy with how stable the car is under regen or braking, and that the car can sense low grip situations and can do the following:

1. dial back regen
2. increase front regen in AWD models
3. totally stop regen all together
4. if the setting for physical brakes to simulate regen is on, it'll use ABS brakes

However, as seen in the attached video, I'd say that in order for the car sense regen causing slip and apply corrective actions listed above, it still needs some amount of grip and traction to do the calculations in time before a spin happens. Therefore it's imperative that people who drive on icy roads get proper winter tires. Without proper tires, especially in a RWD Tesla, can definitely lead to situations where one or both rear wheels could easily lose enough traction to cause a spin.

 

[Skavatar]

we don't get much snow or ice down here but i was thinking about buying some snow chains while watching all the accidents on the news. i thought snow chains were required in the North.

"The Houston Police Department is urging drivers to stay safe on the roads after more than 580 crashes were reported in the area overnight. Of those, Mayor John Whitmire confirmed that 251 crashes were ice-related."

Nearly 250 ice-related crashes reported in the Houston area overnight: How to drive safely in arctic freeze

The Houston Police Department is urging drivers to stay safe on the roads after more than 580 crashes were reported in the area overnight. Of those, Mayor John Whitmire confirmed that 251 crashes were ice-related.

www.click2houston.com

 

[fholbert]

1. dial back regen
2. increase front regen in AWD models
3. totally stop regen all together
4. if the setting for physical brakes to simulate regen is on, it'll use ABS brakes

Unless something changed in a recent update my 2023 MY doesn't have a way to change regen.

 

[XPsionic]

Unless something changed in a recent update my 2023 MY doesn't have a way to change regen.

That's correct, all of those actions listed are done automatically and invisibly in the background. Unless you have a Model Y, then off road mode would activate equal front/rear power bias, or a Model 3 performance in track mode, where you could tune the power bias and regen amount.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Mostly a Tesla thing​

That suggests there may be something about Teslas that’s causing people to crash more than other cars. But LexisNexis researchers had previously noticed similar trends in China, where there are many more EVs – including more that aren’t Teslas.

The increase in incidents is highest during the first year or so after drivers get the new electric vehicle, but then tapers off after that, according to LexisNexis, presumably as people get used to driving the new model. There is much less of a problem when a driver changes from a gasoline-powered vehicle to another gas-powered one, they found.

Story Here: https://us.cnn.com/2024/01/18/business/why-do-people-keep-crashing-teslas/index.html

It doesn't actually show they are crashing more. It shows that Teslas have more insurance claims, so there are other variables involved (if Teslas tend to be insured more, if Teslas cost more to repair and thus go above deductible more easily, if Tesla attracts drivers that drive more aggressively in the first place).

 

[Shelburne]

I think a lot of the higher accident rate has to do with regeneration.

The driver hits a slick spot on the road (rain, snow or ice) and does what they were taught to to.

View attachment 1010555​

When the driver lets off the accelerator regen kicks in (same as braking) and the back end passes the front end. You're headed for the guard rail.

Living in New England, I drive on a lot of ice/snowy roads in the winter. I've owned several Jeep Grand Cherokees, an AWD Volvo XC70, and two other AWD cars. I think my 2020 M3LR is better in snow and ice than any of them. However, the biggest factors in avoiding accidents in an AWD car are the tires on the car and the driver's ability to drive safely in these conditions. Another important factor is learning when it's smarter to just stay home rather than risk those roads.

 

[cbdream99]

Living in New England, I drive on a lot of ice/snowy roads in the winter. I've owned several Jeep Grand Cherokees, an AWD Volvo XC70, and two other AWD cars. I think my 2020 M3LR is better in snow and ice than any of them. However, the biggest factors in avoiding accidents in an AWD car are the tires on the car and the driver's ability to drive safely in these conditions. Another important factor is learning when it's smarter to just stay home rather than risk those roads.

Keeping a safe distance, patience and don't overestimate the cars and one's ability is key in ice/snowy conditions, don't be like this idiot, luckily he wasn't harmed with the front half of his WRX, the back half is somewhere else.

 

[drift]

It doesn't actually show they are crashing more. It shows that Teslas have more insurance claims, so there are other variables involved (if Teslas tend to be insured more, if Teslas cost more to repair and thus go above deductible more easily, if Tesla attracts drivers that drive more aggressively in the first place).

Are these all " at fault " mishaps that we're talking about? Teslas get crashed into alot and that has little to do with the car itself. If it's not an " at fault " mishap it has to do with the other driver such as rear ending the Tesla or running a red light and T boning the Tesla.

 

[gtg465x]

From further down in the article:

The Highway Loss Data Institute, a US-based organization funded by the insurance industry, has not found higher crash rates for Tesla vehicles or other EVs more broadly based on overall insurance claims.

I have yet to see proof that Teslas crash more than other vehicles, and after the LendingTree study fiasco, I'm having trouble trusting any news article that makes that claim. The LendingTree study initially prompted countless articles implying that Teslas crashed more than any other brand, but later, LendingTree clarified that only the people who requested quotes to insure a Tesla (even if they didn't purchase a Tesla) had more historical crashes (including crashes in other vehicles).

 

[brkaus]

Are stats separated into summer & winter driving?

Big thing I notice with the Tesla (and the leaf to a much lesser extent) is the Tesla is super quick. An accidental 'go pedal' twitch and you have problems. But no different from my old muscle car w/ too much motor and not enough brakes (and not enough brains back in the day - lol). But the Tesla is also quiet. There is no loud engine advertising the driver is doing something wrong.

My kids only drive the Teslas in chill mode. They aren't comfortable with regular. guess they have more smarts than I did.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Regarding how the Tesla UI is more different from other cars than each other, I do know someone who bought a different EV because the UI was more similar to previous vehicles (ICEVs) they had. They were not really interested in Teslas due to the UI differences, and they do not drive that far or road trip (so the Tesla Supercharger advantages over CCS1 fast charging were not a factor for them).

If other people bought Teslas despite the UI being more different and unusual, it could be that some may find it more distracting, at least initially.

Dropping the stalks makes the UI even more unusual without (generally) making it better.

Regarding insurance losses, Insurance losses by make and model indicates that the Model 3 and Y collision loss rates are high, though not unusually high relative to the IIHS-designed class of midsize luxury cars and SUVs. Among midsize luxury SUVs, the Y is more similar to Audis and BMWs, while many with less sporty images have lower collision loss rates. Among midsize luxury cars, most non-Volvos have sporty images and high collision loss rates.

 

[pikeman]

Lots of people have learned to have very little finesse with the gas pedal in ICE cars. Especially in slower economy cars where you could repeatedly stab and release the gas pedal without a whole lot happening. Everyone knows someone who drives by stabbing the throttle, then coasting (even lightly braking!), then stabbing the throttle again.

Without some self awareness and discipline, it's much harder to drive smoothly in a Tesla for that type of driver. Combine that with no engine noise, features like one pedal drive and stop, I'm not surprised at all that some parts of the population make mistakes in their first year transitioning to a EV.

Your observation is correct. My car is a Fiat 124 Abarth, which has a turbocharged 1.4. It doesn’t make a lot of torque under 3k, and then off we go. So you need to drive like an Italian! It’s great fun and carves corners like a scalpel. As you observed Tesla has monster torque at zero rpm. Without care, this mismatch is an accident waiting to happen. Except I know how to drive. Most drivers think of their cars as driving appliances. And with the lame CVTs, they are disconnected from the car. Putting them in a Tesla is a recipe for trouble and Hertz discovered that real quick!