Tesla Vehicle Carrying Taiwanese Actor Catches Fire After Crashing Into Road Divider
Taiwanese singer, actor, and race car driver Jimmy Lin was injured in a car crash while driving a Tesla Model X in Taiwan, according to reports by several Taiwanese media outlets on July 22.
Lin was driving the Model X with his son, but lost control of the car and crashed into a road barrier, causing the Tesla model to catch fire.
Local police responded that Lin and his son suffered head and facial injuries and have been sent to hospital for treatment. The police also made it clear that Lin was not drunk while driving. The local police have preliminarily judged that the cause of the accident was that the driver did not pay attention to the situation of the car in front, which led to the collision with the road barrier.
According to local media publication Economic View, in response to this car accident, Tesla’s customer service said, “The cause of the fire cannot be confirmed for the time being. In case of emergency, the main and co-pilot seat have devices to mechanically open the door, which can forcibly unlock the door in case of power failure. Passengers in the rear row can escape through the trunk.” The customer service also said that there is no flammable material near Tesla model’s driver seat.
As the first paid professional racer in Taiwan, China, Jimmy Lin is no stranger to near collisions. He took 8th place overall in the 2005 China Rally Championship. As a result, this accident has once again aroused discussion about Tesla model’s safety.
At about 7:00 on July 21, a black Tesla sedan collided with a white Toyota SUV in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and then caught fire. On July 9, a Tesla model lost control in Chongqing, causing 2 deaths and 4 injuries, which also aroused some concern. According to the police report, the accident was caused by improper operation by the driver.
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Media outlet mzone reported that, as of 2021, Tesla has had several hundred traffic accidents worldwide, resulting in a total of 175 deaths. According to the US Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 200 accidents involving Tesla in the United States were due to loss of vehicle control. “Out-of-control” is regarded as a sudden acceleration and deceleration, pedal failure, steering wheel failure and driver’s failure to take over the vehicle in time.