The Tesla Cybertruck has recently arrived in Europe, causing significant concern among European road safety organizations. Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the European Road Safety Council and the International Federation of Pedestrians, have co-signed an open letter expressing their worry over the vehicle’s potential threats to road safety on the continent. This letter was prompted by the Czech Republic’s decision to register a Tesla Cybertruck as a passenger vehicle, thereby allowing its entry into Europe. The safety organizations suspect that the vehicle’s weight might have been misreported, possibly allowing for its certification as a legitimate import.
The safety advocates are concerned that Tesla’s Cybertruck could pose substantial risks to European drivers and pedestrians, and they urge for the vehicle to be removed from Europe. The letter suggests that the registration and approval of Cybertrucks in the European Union could introduce illegal risks to other road users. If this assessment holds, the limited number of Cybertrucks registered in the EU should be deregistered, with confirmation from the relevant Member States to remove them from public roads.
The NGOs’ concerns are based on the Cybertruck’s inability to meet several basic European road safety standards that apply to passenger cars (M1). These concerns include the vehicle’s lack of adequate crumple zones and the presence of sharp edges. A particular safety issue is the vehicle’s sharp and angular corners, which are potentially hazardous to cyclists. It has been reported that the driver who imported the Cybertruck to the Czech Republic tried to circumvent local regulations by adding slim rubber bumpers to the vehicle’s corners, technically allowing it to pass through regulatory checks. The groups caution that this rubber modification could lead to widespread importation of Cybertrucks into Europe, and warn that the Czech Republic could become a conduit for distributing such dangerous vehicles to other Member States.
Gizmodo attempted to contact Tesla for a comment on the issue but did not receive a response before the article’s publication. Historically, Europe has been proactive in implementing regulatory measures to protect consumers, often surpassing those in America. However, the safety organizations note that even under the less stringent American safety standards, the Cybertruck may not be considered a safe vehicle. The letter highlights that the Cybertruck has not been crash-tested by any public authority in the U.S. due to its self-certification system, raising doubts about its compliance with lower American pedestrian safety requirements.
So far, there has been only one reported fatality involving a Cybertruck. In August, an individual died in the Houston area after their vehicle collided with a culvert and caught fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has initiated an investigation into this incident.
