“It’s like they’re trying to get killed.”
As of late I’ve noticed a lot of dashcam videos showing Tesla owners driving on the road with a chip on their shoulders, ready to road rage with any driver, no matter how large the vehicle, and this latest video is no exception.
Dashcam footage from a semi truck driver submitted by /u/brother_p shows a semi truck driver on the Kings Highway (aka the 403) in Kingsville, Ontario driving in light traffic at around 9 PM earlier in the week (January 9, 2023.)
OP does not give a source for the video.
And, if you’re curious, the exact location of the incident can be found here on Google Maps.
Check out the video below.
The semi, travelling in the middle lane at 62 MPH, gets brake checked by a Tesla Model 3 (or Y, it’s hard to tell) causing the semi to halve his speed to a dangerously slow 32 MPH.
The semi flashes their high-beams at the Tesla, warning the driver to presumably knock it off.
The Tesla, clearly on a mission to irritate the semi driver, brake checks the semi again despite the semi changing lanes to get out of the Tesla’s way.
In Canada, semi trucks and trailers can legally weigh up to 80,000. It doesn’t take a physicist to figure out what happens when that much weight slams into the back of something a fraction its size.
Other Redditors commented how asinine and foolish this Tesla driver was.
A semi truck driver even chimed in.
“People think that driving this big truck would give you a sense of power… it doesn’t, or at least it shouldn’t. I feel 100% vulnerable all day, every day, because you’re totally at the mercy of an asshole like this. I can’t brake fast, can’t turn quickly, and when something happens, I’m automatically guilty until proven innocent. This is why pretty much every truck has a camera now.” – /u/CaptainBrasiliano
“For serious, though, this type of behavior needs to stop before the little idiot gets an entire truck up their a**,” – /u/Loofa_of_doom
And yes, Brake Checking is illegal in Canada, not to mention against the law in a lot of countries.
According to Medicine Hat Lawyer,
- “You will get two demerit points in your break checking, which will be on your driving record.”
- “There will be a fine too, and the amount is indefinite. However, be sure that the fine will be hefty. So let’s leave this part to your imagination.”
- “You might also have to serve prison if a collision results in a fatal accident.”
Injury Lawyer of Edmonton’s blog on the matter says that prison term can be as long as 14 years if a fatality occurs.
And, with how much information Teslas collect, video as well as telemetry data, rest assured, Tesla drivers who get caught brake checking, a Judge will likely approve downloading their own data to use against them.
