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Father and son incinerated after ‘self-driving’ Tesla suddenly slammed into tree
(www.independent.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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Run into a tree in any other car, and the airbags will likely save you, and then you just open the door and get out. No flames, no locked doors you can't open. To me, it looks like Teslas are more dangerous for the passengers in common accidents, regardless of how they happen.
I do wonder who is still buying these things today, because people still are, in spite of sales being down sales aren't zero, which they should be. There are much better options.
The car has mechanical door handles in the front that at are so obvious people try to use them instead of the electrical ones.
The getting out isn't the problem. If they were conscious after the crash, at least in the front, it would have been easy to get out unless the door was jammed which can happen after the crash.
The problem is people on the outside that cant potentially open it when its not jammed and the occupant is unconscious, or the backseat where its not obvious how to use the mechanical latch.
Edit: so in this crash it sounds like the driver was probably unconscious, or the door was jammed, both of which cause a deadly situation like this as outside rescues are much harder due to electronic locks.
Edit: and EVs catch on fire less than gas cars, this isnt an EV fire problem.
Doors often jam when deformed from a serious crash in any car. Often emergency workers have to cut the car to get to people. Any EV has a battery fire issue. But it's not like gasoline fires are so great either tho.
That would be one of the things to establish in court: could they have survived? Despite occasional outrage headlines, the battery pack is hard to damage. It usually takes a very severe crash.
Aside from the horrible fate, it’s not much different from any other car. When running into a tree, airbags protect you to a point. But there is no technology that can protect you from a severe enough crash. Was it severe enough? Could their fate have been different? Those are the most important questions