A Tesla Model 3 recently proved that it's worthy of its 5-star safety rating, following a collision with a truck on icy roads. Tesla's Model 3 has a high safety score, like its predecessors, the Model S and Model X among agencies like the NHTSA. In this particular accident, the Model 3 owner survived the accident, highlighting Tesla's attention to safety.
Tesla enthusiast @Tesla_Road_Trip posted a video of an accident he had survived with his Model 3 during one snowy night on Twitter. In his post, @Tesla_Road_Trip thanked Elon musk for making a safe car.
Based on the video, the Model 3 appears to have slipped to the next lane of the icy road, resulting in a collision with an incoming Chevy truck. The pickup crashed into the driver-side of the Model 3, as seen in the featured image above. Fortunately, @Tesla_Road_Trip survived the ordeal. He was at least well enough to walk away from the crash that night.
@Tesla_Road_Trip's crash validates the Model 3's 5-star safety rating. Tesla's affordable sedan received 5-star safety ratings from multiple organizations, like the NHTSA, IIHS, and Euro NCAP. This allowed the vehicle to impress safety agencies across several territories, including North America, Europe, and Australia.
Thanks @elonmusk for making such a safe car! You saved my butt last night. #tesla #TeslaModel3 #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/cQUfLuReVH
— Tesla_Road_Trip (@Tesla_Road_Trip) February 4, 2020
In particular, the NHTSA gave the Tesla Model 3 a 5-star rating in rollover, side crash, and frontal crash tests. @Tesla-Road-Trip's Model 3 collision would be classified as a Front Driver Side crash, which was also received a 5-start rating from the NHTSA.
Another notable 5-star rating the Tesla Model 3 received was for its driver-assistance systems. The IIHS tested the Model 3's driver-assist systems by driving it towards a stationary obstacle at 12 mph and 25 mph. The Model 3 prevented collisions both times by automatically stopping once it detected the obstacle.
As a result, the IIHS gave the Model 3 a Superior rating in the driver-assist category. The Euro NCAP was also impressed by the Model 3 in the same category. The Europe-based safety organization gave the Tesla Model 3 a score of 94 percent in the Safety Assist category.
Tesla has long been a proponent of making safe cars, which is why the company continues to strive for perfection with its driver-assist features, including Autopilot and the FSD suite. The company has also been adding improvements to its vehicles' safety systems through over-the-air updates. In May 2019, Tesla released a report about its progress in car safety. The report introduced new safety features for Tesla owners, namely Lane Departure Avoidance and Emergency Lane Departure, which should minimize accidents like @Tesla_Road_Trip's collision in the future.
Featured Image Credit: @Tesla_Road_Trip/Twitter
About the Author
Claribelle Deveza
Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.
