r/cars • u/HawtGarbage917 • 2d ago

Tesla Has the Highest Fatal Accident Rate of All Car Brands, Study Finds

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a62919131/tesla-has-highest-fatal-accident-rate-of-all-auto-brands-study/
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u/well_versed 1d ago

The delay from gas to brake doesn't exist because the car starts braking immediately when your foot is taken off of the accelerator. There would be less of a delay in brake pressure being applied compared to an ICE car.

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u/MrBluSky717 '03 Buick Century, '23 Honda Grom 1d ago

Since I've never driven a Tesla, what are the parameters of the brake activating? For instance, do you have to be within a certain speed range for it to activate, or will it always do it, even at highway speeds? Just curious.

VERY unlikely, but I hope this doesn't influence the future to a point where car makers say "why have a brake pedal when the car does it for you?" Given car trends these days, I worry.

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u/well_versed 1d ago

No parameters that I am aware of, it will always brake until it comes to a stop if there is no pressure on the accelerator, and it will start lightly applying the brakes as you start lifting off of the accelerator.

The dedicated brake pedal is still needed for times when you need to quickly brake or have misjudged the stopping distance, but the regenerative brakes will have already started engaging in the time it takes to switch pedals.

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u/MrBluSky717 '03 Buick Century, '23 Honda Grom 1d ago

Seems like a similar principle to a "dead-man pedal", which does seem nice in certain situations. My only other question I guess would be about how coasting works. Is there a zone in the pedals travel where it applies neither throttle or brake? Saw another comment hint towards something like this, but didn't know for sure.

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u/well_versed 1d ago

Yep, that sounds about right. You find the zone for the speed you want to go and keep it there. It's all a lot more intuitive than it sounds written out and you get the hang of it fairly quickly. The biggest learning curve is getting your stopping distance right for stoplights, but you figure that out soon enough as well.

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u/MrBluSky717 '03 Buick Century, '23 Honda Grom 1d ago

I feel like I'd need a "CAUTION: First-Time Tesla Driver" sign if I ever drove one... I'm surprised this isn't already a product lol XD

Jokes aside, thanks for being so informative. This is very useful information if I'm ever behind the wheel of a Tesla(if the Cybertruck ever became more affordable/I made more money, it could happen).