this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2025
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At the current rate of horrible fiery deaths, FuelArc projects the Cybertruck will have 14.52 fatalities per 100,000 units — far eclipsing the Pinto's 0.85. (In absolute terms, FuelArc found, 27 Pinto drivers died in fires, while five Cybertruck drivers have suffered the same fate, at least so far.)

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[–] TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.world 12 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I was driving out of a parking lot yesterday just as a Cybertruck started to pull in off the street from the left. The driver was white-knuckling the wheel and was frantically looking around as I assume he could barely see out of the goddamn thing as he swung so wide he nearly clipped my car. He needed almost the entire driveway to make his turn.

I cannot imagine dropping so much money on something so useless and so hideous.

[–] jdeath@lemm.ee 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

well i hate to say this (really i do), turning is actually one of the only strong points about the CT. It can do a u-turn in the same-ish radius as a model 3, much better than most vehicles in its class.

that driver was just a fucking moron

[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 hour ago

that driver was just a fucking moron

I mean, he bought a cybertruck lol

[–] SphereofWreckening@lemmy.world 18 points 3 hours ago

The thing is a very obvious death trap to anyone that knows simple physics. There are videos testing what happens when a Cybertruck hits a hard wall at certain speeds. That thing didn't crumple at all until speeds greater than 35 mph. And even then it only barely crumples at all. The damage it could produce hitting another vehicle would be catastrophic and fatal.

[–] DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

I believe 4 of the 5 Cybertruck fatalities were from a single crash. While the truck may indeed be dangerous, there is hardly enough data yet to draw conclusions.

[–] jdeath@lemm.ee 0 points 1 hour ago

yeah certainly not enough to have statistical significance

[–] brygphilomena@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

Do they have emergency releases on the outside? I know a locked door of a car with traditional latching mechanisms won't open. But an unlocked vehicle where a bystander cannot render aid in an emergency seems so.... Short sighted.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O2fUhCCuTto

Not in the outside, but the rear releases are hidden in the door well under a vanity mat

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 1 points 3 hours ago

It is on purposes. He wants a cyberpunk fantasy car. You know what you can do in many cyberpunk games? Blow up cars with the slightest of ease. They're made of explodium in some games, and in Cyberpunk 2077 there is a quickhack (like a magic spell, but cyberpunk) that can cause the car to literally explode.

Can you imagine for one second if someone managed to find a way to consistently connect to Tesla vehicles AND found a way to cause the battery to overheat and burn? The door autolock will cause the passengers to be trapped and be burned alive.

I don't think this is an accident. No one can be that stupid to make something like that by accident.

[–] mombutt_long_and_low@lemmy.world 20 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I was thinking “What’s that red stu—oh…” Yikes.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

Melted plastic... right? Yup imma say it's melted platic

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 90 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I'm guessing that some people at the National Transportation Safety Board are about to get fired by Elon Musk.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 24 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Safety belts are a waste of precious money!

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Safe at any speed!

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

Won't someone think of the shareholders!

[–] xapr@lemmy.sdf.org 82 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

Cybertruck will have 14.52 fatalities per 100,000 units — far eclipsing the Pinto’s 0.85.

Holy shit, that means the Cybertruck fatality rate is around 17 times higher than the Pinto's!

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 1 points 2 hours ago

Do you realize how fucking insane that is? From 1921 to 1951 the rate of auto deaths dropped by around 50%, and from 1921 to 2011 the rate dropped by 90%. This is not just due to regulations on cars and pedestrian travel, but also in very large part due to crash safety in cars that steadily improved. With crash safety becoming a science, and crash test dummies being invented, and crumple zones, and air bags and seatbelts and the laws thereof.

Musk, asshole motherfucker that he is, is trying to destroy all of that.

[–] Greee1911@lemmy.world 20 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

If you read the article is was specifically died by fire. Not any other cause of death.

[–] Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 46 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Right but the specific issue with the Pinto was that it would explode into flames on a rear impact, so this is the appropriate metric.

Like deaths from other accidents would skew the numbers anyway because 70s cars were death traps compared to today, but even in that context, the Pinto's explosions were alarming.

Beating it on that isolated metric is a very special kind of achievement.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 23 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Top of the line in utility sports.

Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts.

[–] Krompus@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago
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[–] yesman@lemmy.world 204 points 1 day ago (15 children)

I love Elon Bad posts, but I think it's worthwhile to examine why Elon bad in this case.

Like many reactionaries, Elon's business philosophy is pure tech-bro-libertarianism. And like all libertarians, he's stuck in the neoliberal mindset of less regulation (don't scrutinize) and more efficiency (let me be cheap), in order to create the safe space that industrialists need to ~~extract~~, er create.

He's literally said things like (paraphrasing)

When I see a specification for three bolts I ask: why can't we do it with two?

His transparent reasoning is that if he's allowed to cut corners, he'll save money today and consequences can be dealt with when they arise.

He's following the software model of release a minimally viable product and patch it later. Only instead of user frustration at being beta testers, you fucking die maybe.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

oh god that quote. he's so lame and fucking stupid.

I'm sure corner cutting is a concern but also he's so insecure he probably read things about Steve Jobs or something, and tried to ape him. I remember something about Jobs supposedly telling employees to reduce steps in some processes or whatever. this idiot doesn't understand anything so he thinks asking for fewer bolts is the same thing.

why can't we do it in two? cause that's how you secure things you fucking dumbass. your proud fascination for "fewer bolts" is why your hypercuck tried to kill a driver.

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 85 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (10 children)

Him and his libertarian friends fuck up left and right. Crashing startups and just getting more money for another. Constant recalls. Blowing up rockets until it works.

Yet they hold the government to a standard of being perfect and high performing with no room for failure. NASA can’t be blowing up rockets. As soon as they do the world comes down on them.

And Trump is the biggest fuckup of all these guys.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 211 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (26 children)

...and unlike the Pinto, because we are so deep into fucked-reality-ville, it won't get recalled.

[–] Freefall@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Nah, he will just get more government grants to "fix" it. (Aren't they up to like 30% grants at this point?)

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 128 points 1 day ago (18 children)

Ford's reasoning was that it was cheaper to pay out for the injuries and deaths than to change the car. Cybertruck has a much better plot armor, a fanbase that refuses to believe it's crap.

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[–] thann@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

But at least its bulletproof!

[–] riodoro1@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago
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