Some people would say that Teslas are just a bit dangerous, especially when you consider the fact that these cars were literally exploding last year — so the company doesn’t really need any more bad press.
Newer models of the car boast all kinds of futuristic features such as autopilot — something that could be revolutionary if done right, but catastrophic if done wrong. In a video shared to TikTok by the account “GrantsGameRecs,” we’re shown the aftermath of a car crash involving a Tesla and a house — Grant’s place of residence, to be precise. Now, it’s not clear whether the vehicle was on autopilot or not, but the original poster seems to think that Tesla is trying to cover up the accident, and he has receipts that certainly seem to back up his claim.
The response to the crash was quick. Maybe too quick.
Grant has photos with timestamps that give us a rough timeline of events: At 5:07, the Tesla crashed into his house, and his first picture of the tow truck driver trying to get the Tesla out is a mere three minutes later, at 5:10 — the tow truck even arrived before the police!
That is awfully quick, like, were those tow truck guys just waiting around the corner? It’s almost as if the towing company was called the second the crash happened, somehow. What’s worse, the team in the tow truck are unnecessarily aggressive towards Grant, swearing at him and apparently even threatening to beat him up.
You have to admit, the whole situation is odd. How did the truck know so quickly, and what possible reason could the driver have for being so aggressive? Grant suggests an explanation for the truck arriving so quickly, and for the driver’s aggressive behavior: The towing company is being paid by Tesla to remove any evidence of the crash as quickly as possible.
TikTok is full of crackpot conspiracy theories, and maybe this is just another one to add to the list — after all, it seems like a pretty far-fetched idea. But then again, we can’t rule out the possibility that Elon Musk would go to such lengths to protect his company’s image. As I mentioned at the start, Tesla has had some bad press in the last year or so, and if the car was on autopilot, could the company be trying to avoid another PR disaster by getting rid of the evidence?
Viewers were split on Grant’s theory, with most at least admitting that it was “highly illegal to remove it from an accident that causes property damage over $1000.” However, many thought there were much more plausible explanations, “Some tow truck drivers listen to police scanners so they can get jobs before their competition.”
Although that may make you more inclined to believe Grant’s idea, he later followed up the first video with an update in which he stated his theory about Tesla was probably incorrect. He now believes that the truck drivers had been listening to police scanners (as one comment already suggested) because there’s apparently a lot of money in towing cars before the police get there. This practice is illegal, but towing company shenanigans don’t make for the juicy, Tesla-scented conspiracy theory Grant initially thought it to be.
How frequent are Tesla autopilot crashes?
So yeah, even Grant admits that his theory might have been a little too out there to be true, but then again, Tesla does have the highest accident rate of any auto brand. According to an article from Forbes there is an average of 23.54 accidents per 1,000 Tesla drivers making it one of only three brands with over 20 accidents per 1,000 drivers (Ram and Subaru were the other two).
The article also draws attention to the fact that the company recalled over 2 million cars due to safety concerns regarding the autopilot. So although Grant’s theory may not have been true in this case, it has drawn some attention to some very concerning statistics.