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Tesla Model 3 "Suddenly Accelerates" Into a BC Ferries Ramp in Vancouver, Gets Destroyed

The West Vancouver Police Department is investigating the cause of a Tesla Model 3 crashing into a Horseshoe Bay ferry ramp. The car “suddenly accelerated” into the BC Ferries ramp. Two passengers in the Tesla were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Tesla Model 3 "Suddenly Accelerates" Into a BC Ferries Ramp in Vancouver 7 photos
Photo: West Vancouver Police Department
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There has been a flurry of crashes involving Tesla vehicles in the past two years, and in many cases, the drivers reported the car suddenly accelerated out of control. Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) is more common than you might imagine as a crash cause, and it happens across all car brands. Nevertheless, accidents involving Tesla vehicles instantly gain more coverage because people react more emotionally to these kinds of stories.

Tesla also uses driver-assist features with confusing names, like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, which tricks people into thinking the car is smarter than it is. Often, these features are abused by drivers, and videos of people asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla are not uncommon. Nevertheless, having these assist features onboard also encouraged some drivers to put the blame on them in case of a crash. It’s easy to claim the car is possessed by a malefic spirit that took over control and crashed it, but most of the time, such claims have been proven false.

Investigators in Canada are working on another case of sudden acceleration, which caused a Tesla Model 3 to slam into a BC Ferries ramp in West Vancouver, British Columbia. According to eyewitnesses and police reports, the car suddenly accelerated into the gate at the Horseshoe ferry terminal on Saturday, January 14. Both the gate and the vehicle were severely damaged due to the crash, and the ferry ramp was closed for the rest of the day. The driver and the passenger were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A spokesperson for the West Vancouver Police Department told North Shore News that the cause of the accident is still under consideration. The investigation favors either a mechanical cause or a driver error. In the former case, the car is to blame for not responding to the driver’s input or accelerating on its own. In the latter, the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal, which is a fairly common mistake.

Another cause could be the driver inadvertently leaving the traffic-aware cruise control (TACC). The feature can also be activated by mistake, as it is triggered by the same lever that controls gear selection. Without other vehicles in front, the car tends to resume the previously-set speed, which can take the driver by surprise. It happened before in at least two other Tesla high-profile crashes.

Over the summer, Tesla’s Autopilot Software Director Ashok Elluswamy shared interesting info that the Autopilot system can identify instances when the driver mistakenly presses the accelerator instead of the brakes. According to Elluswami, Tesla Autopilot prevents around 40 such crashes per day. Unfortunately, the system seems it's not yet good enough to avoid all such unintended acceleration events.
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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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