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Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

myelectricsparks.com

151–160 of 188 posts

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#151

Just calling out the poor way this (and many) articles write about car accidents. I’m not a Tesla fan at all but blaming Tesla for the crash is incorrect. (It is correct to blame them for the way the door locks work though and therefore can be blamed for the excess injuries/deaths that result from the design decision.) From the article: > Four people were killed in a fire after a Tesla Model Y lost control and hit a…

>It is correct to blame them for the way the door locks work though and therefore can be blamed for the excess injuries/deaths that result from the design decision. This is what is being discussed here: that four people burned to death because they were unable to exit the vehicle.

It's not entirely fair to say it happened in a vacuum, either, since car doors are damaged and fail-shut enough that almost every fire department has hydraulic rescue tools to force open trapped cars.

The spontaneous combustion of Tesla's battery pack was the proximal cause of death here, but that's an EV problem in general, and will probably only grow as they take over the car market.

Maybe we need the car version of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SUBSAFE to account for EV combustion risks that prevent FDs from responding in time for locked doors.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#152
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every Uber I take in a Tesla would practically need an airline safety briefing for this. There’s no way I’d find it on my own.

> Every Uber I take in a Tesla would practically need an airline safety briefing for this. If your Uber ride is a Model Y you may be SOL: Not all Model Y vehicles are equipped with a manual release for the rear doors.

How did this even get past the NHTSA/DOT - that has to be illegal. Electrical doors, with no failsafe?

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know much about laminated windows, but would a $5 hammer from a hardware store work?

laminated windows have a layer of plastic in them. You need a cutting tool. https://youtu.be/DyZrQ3Q0ZR0?t=75 Also I know this video has a firefighter in it but I will tell you that FFs are more likely to use a sawzall than a hand tool.

100% - hand tools are far too slow. Sawzall is really the quickest method these days, although I have seen some new tooling being experimented with.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#154
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have a large head. There is zero chance of crawling out the window if you're trapped in these cars.

That’s a different point entirely. You talked about being unable to fit your head out comfortably. I addressed that.

At least their head can escape even if the rest of them can't.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#155

I’ll leave a thought that isn’t a Tesla criticism (because the others are good): everybody should carry a lifehammer in their car. If not for saving your own life, it might come in handy for saving somebody else’s. https://www.amazon.com/Lifehammer-Brand-Safety-Hammer-Nether... Don’t buy the cheap Chinese knockoffs.

Note that these tools don't work if you have laminated side windows, which many cars now do!

Going by the last time Elon Musk publicly demonstrated Tesla's 'bulletproof' glass, an emergency steel ball bearing should work.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#156
post #122

Tragic. And disappointing that the Tesla PR department is not responding to the public's questions, according to this article.

I suppose we should be glad they're just being silent, not auto-responding with a poop emoji like they previously have.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#157

Just calling out the poor way this (and many) articles write about car accidents. I’m not a Tesla fan at all but blaming Tesla for the crash is incorrect. (It is correct to blame them for the way the door locks work though and therefore can be blamed for the excess injuries/deaths that result from the design decision.) From the article: > Four people were killed in a fire after a Tesla Model Y lost control and hit a…

>It is correct to blame them for the way the door locks work though and therefore can be blamed for the excess injuries/deaths that result from the design decision. This is what is being discussed here: that four people burned to death because they were unable to exit the vehicle.

And they had survived the impact, and were capable of, but unable to, exit.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#158
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every Uber I take in a Tesla would practically need an airline safety briefing for this. There’s no way I’d find it on my own.

That would be a fantastic idea: sell printed Tesla safety cards in the style of airplane safety cards.

I think it'd be fantastic to not need it in the first place. It is just utterly beyond reason that this is even a thing.

Re: Four dead in fire as Tesla doors fail to open after crash

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be a fantastic idea: sell printed Tesla safety cards in the style of airplane safety cards.

I think it'd be fantastic to not need it in the first place. It is just utterly beyond reason that this is even a thing.

Yeah. Wonder if this "safety feature" was designed by a Boeing contractor?

It'd be on-par for them, or at least the MCAS designers.

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