Tesla door handles become unlikely hero as they stump road rager

Credit: Wham Baam Teslacam | Tesla

When dealing with the unfortunate reality that is a road rage situation, plenty of options are available to keep you safe. Locking your doors or attempting to de-escalate the situation before anything major starts are two logical solutions, but a new one might be to buy a Tesla because of their unique door handles, which recently stumped a road rager from entering a car he conflicted with on the road.

Tesla door handles on the Model 3 and Model Y, while simple and sleek, have stumped many people when they first see them. The key is to push the big part of the handle, which will then bring out the long, skinny portion, which a person would pull to open the door.

Tesla explains how to use the door handles in its Model 3 Owners’ Manual:

“Use your thumb to push the wide part of the door handle. The handle pivots toward you, and you can open the door by pulling the handle or pulling the edge of the door.”

Fortunately, Tesla door handles are not necessarily the most self-explanatory things, and by design, this has made them an unlikely hero in a recent road rage incident shared by Wham Baam Teslacam, a popular account on Twitter and YouTube that shares wild Tesla dashcam and Sentry Mode footage.

It appears a motorist was unhappy with something the Tesla driver did and attempted to confront them directly by trying to hop in their car but not before slamming their fist into one of the vehicle’s windows. Luckily, the glass maintained its integrity and didn’t shatter. However, the upset driver couldn’t quite figure out the Tesla door handles and stood there stumped as the car slowly and calmly rolled off from the situation.

Somewhat unbelievably, a simple design that adds to the Model 3 and Model Y’s exterior design is also a relatively safe bet in terms of a simple defense against emotional and dangerous road ragers. In an increasingly dangerous world, even the most simple lines of defense can mean a world of difference.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com

Joey Klender: Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his time at TESLARATI, Joey has broken several big stories, including the first images of the Tesla Model S Plaid, the imminent release of the 4680 Model Y through EPA certification, and several expansions to the Lucid AMP-1 factory in Arizona, to name a few. His stories have been featured in several publications, including Yahoo! Finance, Fox News, CNET, and Seeking Alpha. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
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