The first fatal accident involving
Tesla’s Cybertruck, which was said to survive the apocalypse, has occurred
A Tesla Cybertruck driver has tragically died in an accident, raising new concerns about the vehicle’s safety claims. Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have frequently promoted the Cybertruck’s durability, boasting that it could withstand extreme conditions, including being bulletproof and surviving an apocalypse.
Despite skepticism about the Cybertruck’s crash test results, which have not been independently verified, Musk has consistently argued that the vehicle offers superior protection compared to other cars. However, this recent fatal accident will reignite controversy and scrutiny around Tesla’s safety claims.
Tesla’s flagship autonomous driving feature is not available in the Cybertruck
Last Monday morning, a Tesla Cybertruck lost control, veered off the road, and crashed into a concrete culvert near Beach City, Texas. The impact caused the vehicle to burst into flames. Photos released after the accident show nothing but burnt debris. The driver died immediately at the scene. It is currently under investigation, and it is unknown whether he died in the fire or from the impact.
The controversy surrounding this Cybertruck crash centers on whether the driver was using Autopilot or the Full Self-Driving system. However, the Cybertruck itself is not involved in this debate. The two autonomous driving features available on other Tesla vehicles—Autopilot and Full Self-Driving—are not offered with the Cybertruck.
Although Tesla promised to implement these features, there has been no news yet
The Cybertruck offers only adaptive cruise control, which is the closest feature to autonomous driving. Tesla has announced plans to include Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities on the Cybertruck. However, nearly a year after its launch, the Cybertruck still lacks any driver assistance features. Elon Musk has stated that FSD V12.5 will support the Cybertruck, but this version has not been released yet.
Accidents happen every day, and some can be life-threatening, so it is too early to draw any conclusions before the investigation is complete. It’s hard to be sure that another vehicle would have fared better if it had similarly crashed into the concrete culvert while driving.
Would the accident have been preventable if autonomous driving had been applied?
Ironically, if the Cybertruck had been equipped with autonomous driving systems like Autopilot, which have faced significant criticism, it might have prevented the accident and saved the driver’s life. For example, a lane departure assist system could have alerted the driver and prevented the vehicle from veering off the road.
Before the crash, the driver may have engaged adaptive cruise control, thinking the car was driving autonomously. There may also have been some kind of technical malfunction. Police investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash. Additionally, in April 2024, Tesla recalled tens of thousands of Cybertrucks due to a risk that the accelerator pedal pad could fall off and interfere with the pedal.
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