Why Australia should never be overrun by Musk trucks

The futuristic and bulletproof three-tonne Tesla Cybertruck was unveiled in Hobart last week as it began its promotional maiden voyage across Australia.

While this latest embodiment of Elon Musk’s sci-fi vision deserves praise for its electric credentials, it’s a dangerous US trend that Australia must reject. Much has been written about the proliferation and the negative impact of “monster” trucks, but Tesla’s Cybertruck presents new and far more significant dangers we should be wary of embracing here.

So far, the Cybertruck has yet to undergo government crash-testing in the US, and it hasn’t received the green light for Australian roads. But there is a growing appetite for this class of vehicle in Australia.

For years, we’ve followed the US in our love of huge SUVs and utes. Large car sales outnumber those of small cars. The Ford Ranger, Toyota’s Hilux and Isuzu’s D-Max topped the list of best-selling new cars last year.

On a recent road trip in the US, I saw fleets of Cybertrucks in the wild lands of Malibu and Melrose. At $US80,000 ($120,000) a pop, and driven by the likes of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, their sinister and unforgiving shape is a somewhat disconcerting sight on the manicured streets of Los Angeles.

Of course, they’re designed to look defensive and tactile, but their hard-edged design makes them a greater danger than the average SUV or pick-up truck. Their sharp, angled hull, inspired by a retro-futuristic aesthetic, might appeal to the fashion-forward, but it spells disaster in an accident.

There are already several reports of Cybertruck crashes decimating smaller cars. The concentrated force of impact of the vehicle’s hard edges can deliver to a pedestrian is far more lethal than that of a typical car. At around twice the weight of a regular sedan, the Cybertruck exacerbates this danger, making any collision far more severe.

The height and weight also present significant risks. Looking at SUVs as a whole, studies show that every additional 500 kilograms of car weight increases the probability of fatality by 70 per cent. SUVs are also top-heavy and carry an additional risk of rollover compared with lower, more centred cars.

One of the Cybertruck’s key selling points is its use of hardened stainless steel as opposed to more malleable materials. While impermeable steel might seem like an advantage, in the context of collisions, it can be devastating.

Crumple zones are designed to absorb and dissipate the force of a collision, extending the duration of the impact, thereby reducing the force experienced by people inside. A vehicle without a crumple zone transfers the full force of this impact directly to its occupants and whatever it collides with, increasing the likelihood of severe injury or death. When SUVs crash into sedans at levels that bypass the impact-absorbing crumple zone, smaller vehicles are more likely to be catastrophically damaged.

Research shows that fatalities are more than seven times higher for sedan drivers in these kinds of crashes compared with SUV drivers. The irony is that many choose large SUVs and utes and mistakenly think they’ll be safer. When people hear about the increased risks to sedan drivers in collisions with SUVs, their instinct might be to buy an SUV for their own protection.

If everyone follows this logic, the safety advantage disappears and we all end up driving oversized, cumbersome vehicles that make our roads more hazardous. This trend mirrors US pro-gun rhetoric, in which many believe owning a gun increases personal safety. However, studies consistently show that gun owners are more likely to be shot.

Our roads are one place where our safety is entirely dependent on the safe interaction and compliance of the “herd”. The proliferation of large vehicles on Australian roads compromises this – their perceived safety is a fallacy; they may protect their occupants to some extent, but they make the roads more dangerous for everyone.

The dangers aren’t limited to other drivers and pedestrians. In the event of a collision, Cybertruck drivers are also at increased risk. When a Cybertruck crashes into a solid object like a wall, the lack of a crumple zone means that the vehicle cannot absorb the impact effectively. This reality starkly contradicts the notion that they enhance personal safety.

Australia must resist this American trend of ever-larger cars. While individual choices matter, meaningful change requires legislative action. Our government should consider banning the Cybertruck and similar vehicles and instead introduce policies that encourage the use of smaller, safer cars.

Public campaigns highlighting the dangers of oversized vehicles could shift public perception and behaviour. The allure of the Cybertruck’s design must not overshadow the real risks it poses. Looking “cool” should not come before our collective safety.

Jacob Elmasry is a PhD candidate in the University of Sydney’s School of Civil Engineering.

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