A Tesla Cybertruck got into its first reported accident on a California highway last week. Fortunately, it looks like the funky futuristic truck held up pretty well.
According to the police report, a 17-year-old driver in a Toyota Corolla crossed over into the wrong lane and smashed into the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck driver walked away with just minor injuries, which is a relief considering all the worries about how safe this thing actually is.
The Corolla looked gnarly with serious front-end damage. But the Cybertruck? Just a few scratches and dents. Its driver’s side airbag did deploy, so clearly the safety features kicked in.
Still, there are big concerns about the Cybertruck’s weird exposed stainless steel body lacking a normal car’s crumple zones. Tesla insists it’s “safer per mile than other trucks,” but with no official crash test data, many experts remain skeptical.
This real-world tangle with a Corolla lends some credence to Tesla’s claims. The Cybertruck took a decent side-swipe hit and held up way better than the other vehicle.
However, we don’t know how extensive the damage really is. And if this truck was just a test vehicle, not one owned by an actual customer. Questions remain.
Early owners will likely face repair challenges given the Cybertruck’s unique design. And with its huge weight and acceleration, safety experts have called it a “guideless missile.”
While Tesla shared some of its own internal crash tests, there’s no substitute for independent evaluations under controlled conditions. Those results will be key to accessing just how road-ready the Cybertruck truly is.
For now though, it seems to have passed its first impromptu safety test out on the highway. Let’s hope Tesla’s claims about its ruggedness stand up to further scrutiny as more Cybertrucks hit the streets.
