Cybertruck, Pickups and Safety

With the first deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck, voices were immediately raised questioning the safety of the vehicle for other road users. The criticism is justified, as the vehicle differs from other vehicles in terms of its design with bullet-proof steel plates and angular edges. The torque and the resulting high acceleration capability are also viewed skeptically from a safety perspective.

However, while only a small double-digit number of Cybertrucks have been delivered, it’s easy to forget what the numbers look like for other pickup trucks, which are one of the most popular vehicle categories in the US.

An analysis by AutoInsurance.org yields a sobering result. Three pickups were among the five cars with the most fatal accidents in the USA between 2017 and 2019: Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram.

1. Chevrolet Silverado: 8,777
2. Ford F-150: 7,502
3. Honda Accord: 5.368
4. Toyota Camry: 5.023
5. Dodge Ram: 4.666

Fatalities among drivers and passengers were recorded, which amounted to around 30,000 per year. In 2019, there were almost 20,000 fatal accidents involving limousines or pick-ups, accounting for 77% of all fatal accidents in 2019.

Broken down by individual brands, pickups and SUVs are conspicuously frequent participants in road accidents with a fatal outcome. I have highlighted pickups and SUVs in color:

1st place: Ford

1. Ford F-150: 7,502
2. Ford Explorer: 3,139
3. Ford F-250: 2,859

2nd place: Chevrolet

1. Chevrolet Silverado: 8,777
2. Chevrolet Impala: 2,765
3. Chevrolet Malibu: 2,548

3rd place: Honda

1. Honda Accord: 5,368
2. Honda Civic: 4,648
3. Honda CR-V: 1,867

4th place: Toyota

1. Toyota Camry: 5,023
2. Toyota Corolla: 3,641
3. Toyota Tacoma: 1,984

It should be noted that the number of deaths in the USA has increased dramatically since then. According to the NHTSA, almost 43,000 people died in road accidents in the USA in 2022.

In the crash tests that the Cybertruck was subjected to, it is clear to see how small the crumple zone is and how little the vehicle deforms.

That’s all good news for the occupants of the cab, less good news for other road users. And that’s where the criticism comes in. is the Cybertruck a danger to the rest of the population? The answer is: pickups and SUVs certainly already are. In view of the accident fatality figures mentioned for these two vehicle categories, the Cybertruck is unlikely to contribute to an improvement unless ADAS such as autopilot or good autonomous driving systems are used. We would have liked to have seen the energy that is being used to criticize the Cybertruck much earlier on all the pickups already on the roads. The fact is that pickups from Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge are already claiming thousands of lives every year. The Cybertruck is not the pressing problem.

This article was also published in German.