When engaging in a few test drives of the MS, as a driver, and as a passenger, it made me think of how the MS will fit into the traffic culture of Hong Kong.
A lot of avoidance of accidents is based on hearing, which is mainly down to engine noise, as well assumptions of expected acceleration.
A fast car looks like a Porsche, Ferrari or possibly a BMW or Mercedes, while the Model S could blend in as a family sedan. Which it is, yet it is also a wolf in sheep clothes. From limo to drag racer, the Model S can be it all.
If a car or motor cycle really accelerates like crazy, it is bound to make a lot of noise, and that will serve as a warning. Not only is the Model S very fast in its acceleration, it is also near silent, a deadly cocktail.
Think of how many chances pedestrians take when they cross the road in Hong Kong. Compared to Europe and North America, I find people a lot more "brave" here, and taking separation just to the limit, all the time, no margin for error or hesitation. Braking distance, or rather stopping distance, is not taken as seriously as it should. Yielding is often based on might of way, rather than right of way. Entering and exiting side roads and roundabouts is like a stock car race, if you fit in, you can go. Changing lanes, and even deciding which lane to use, is also very different from what I am used to, with even trucks going in any lane they like even the passing lane, cars passing left or right side as desired.
I am not here to change the existing way of driving in Hong Kong, just saying, that with the silence and swift moves of the Model S, I can see accidents coming, possibly even before the end of this year. Can we preempt some accidents by sharing knowledge and experience? Should Tesla Motors issue a sheet of paper warning about the impact of driving a high performance electric car in an emerging market?
Here are some likely scenarios you could be careful of (feel free to add comments, and I will update the list in a sensible way).
I am not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs here, yet I think we should have a discussion about the potential dangers of the Model S. If you have some serious experience on fast motor bikes you will also recognise some of the dangers above. It's not always who is right and who is wrong, but about taking evading action to avoid an accident, even though it's the other part doing something technically wrong.
The Model S might be the safest production car ever produced (for the passengers and driver), yet I am sure it hurts bad when a pedestrian or biker contacts the ... eehm ... radiator, front bumper, whatever it's called, when they didn't see you coming.
A lot of avoidance of accidents is based on hearing, which is mainly down to engine noise, as well assumptions of expected acceleration.
A fast car looks like a Porsche, Ferrari or possibly a BMW or Mercedes, while the Model S could blend in as a family sedan. Which it is, yet it is also a wolf in sheep clothes. From limo to drag racer, the Model S can be it all.
If a car or motor cycle really accelerates like crazy, it is bound to make a lot of noise, and that will serve as a warning. Not only is the Model S very fast in its acceleration, it is also near silent, a deadly cocktail.
Think of how many chances pedestrians take when they cross the road in Hong Kong. Compared to Europe and North America, I find people a lot more "brave" here, and taking separation just to the limit, all the time, no margin for error or hesitation. Braking distance, or rather stopping distance, is not taken as seriously as it should. Yielding is often based on might of way, rather than right of way. Entering and exiting side roads and roundabouts is like a stock car race, if you fit in, you can go. Changing lanes, and even deciding which lane to use, is also very different from what I am used to, with even trucks going in any lane they like even the passing lane, cars passing left or right side as desired.
I am not here to change the existing way of driving in Hong Kong, just saying, that with the silence and swift moves of the Model S, I can see accidents coming, possibly even before the end of this year. Can we preempt some accidents by sharing knowledge and experience? Should Tesla Motors issue a sheet of paper warning about the impact of driving a high performance electric car in an emerging market?
Here are some likely scenarios you could be careful of (feel free to add comments, and I will update the list in a sensible way).
- Starting so fast from a red light changing to green, that someone running a yellow/red light the opposite way will hit you. This has been reported in the USA already, and many MS owners pause for just a split second before going, unless they can see the traffic light is clear (and no-one is running a red light)
- Hitting pedestrians, who never saw a Model S before, unaware of it's sudden leaps in speed. Remember you have to be able to stop, there is no excuse for speed because you couldn't see around the corner. Consider a short honk if you think someone didn't see you coming.
- Model S driver simply not being used to the sheer acceleration, forgetting the dangers of it's stealthy speed.
- Multi lane roads, accelerating (passing) forward, and moving "up" so fast other cars will change into your lane "because it was empty just a second ago". So many drivers only use their mirrors, it's very clear to see the head hardly moving before a lane change.
I am not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs here, yet I think we should have a discussion about the potential dangers of the Model S. If you have some serious experience on fast motor bikes you will also recognise some of the dangers above. It's not always who is right and who is wrong, but about taking evading action to avoid an accident, even though it's the other part doing something technically wrong.
The Model S might be the safest production car ever produced (for the passengers and driver), yet I am sure it hurts bad when a pedestrian or biker contacts the ... eehm ... radiator, front bumper, whatever it's called, when they didn't see you coming.
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