Photo: Model3guy on Instagram
It might not be the first thing crossing your mind when you hear more and more Model 3s are finding their way to their new owners and onto the roads, but this also means the likelihood of Tesla's latest sedan being involved in a crash is significantly increasing.
The crashworthiness of Tesla vehicles is notorious, with the Model X recently becoming the safest SUV out there and the second safest vehicle behind only the Model S, which means the Model 3 should also become the leader in its segment. But until we get the official ratings from NHTSA, IIHS or EuroNCAP, we have to rely on the misfortune of the early owners to gauge just how sturdy the electric sedan is.
Apparently, with only a few hundreds of Model 3s on the roads, we already have at least two incidents to base our preliminary conclusions on. The first comes from "Model3guy" on Instagram who was kind enough to share his experience despite the fact he risked getting lectured by those people who always know better and who seem to own the Internet.
He doesn't go into too many details, but we think the pictures tell a thousand words. We can see the road covered in fresh snow, the Model 3 wearing snow chains on its rear wheels alone and the front planted into the rocks on the side. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to realize what went on. A set of winter tires would have probably spared Model3guy from his troubles, but you live, you learn. Talk about online guys who know everything...
News of the second incident came via Twitter, but this one is a lot more enigmatic. The claim is that the Model 3 hit a "good-sized" deer (whatever that is) at 45 mph (72 km/h), and the user called "Happy Chair" also included a picture of the aftermath. However, the car seems to be perfectly intact, so unless he did it while reversing, we find it hard to believe that it didn't leave a more pronounced mark.
Either the deer wasn't "good-sized" or the speed wasn't 45 mph, but something most definitely has to give. Or maybe this was just a veiled hint at the Model 3's duck-faced design that looks as though it's been involved in a deer collision?
Apparently, with only a few hundreds of Model 3s on the roads, we already have at least two incidents to base our preliminary conclusions on. The first comes from "Model3guy" on Instagram who was kind enough to share his experience despite the fact he risked getting lectured by those people who always know better and who seem to own the Internet.
He doesn't go into too many details, but we think the pictures tell a thousand words. We can see the road covered in fresh snow, the Model 3 wearing snow chains on its rear wheels alone and the front planted into the rocks on the side. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to realize what went on. A set of winter tires would have probably spared Model3guy from his troubles, but you live, you learn. Talk about online guys who know everything...
News of the second incident came via Twitter, but this one is a lot more enigmatic. The claim is that the Model 3 hit a "good-sized" deer (whatever that is) at 45 mph (72 km/h), and the user called "Happy Chair" also included a picture of the aftermath. However, the car seems to be perfectly intact, so unless he did it while reversing, we find it hard to believe that it didn't leave a more pronounced mark.
Either the deer wasn't "good-sized" or the speed wasn't 45 mph, but something most definitely has to give. Or maybe this was just a veiled hint at the Model 3's duck-faced design that looks as though it's been involved in a deer collision?
Thank you @elonmusk and @Tesla for designing a well-built, safe vehicle. We struck a good sized deer in our #Model3 at 45 mph and everyone was well protected. The damage is illustrated below. We have full confidence in Model 3! pic.twitter.com/gvcmkiuVwW
— Happy Chair (@Happy_Chair) December 23, 2017
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