The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced the vehicles that qualified for its Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards for 2023. The Tesla Model Y is one of them, despite the agency updating its standards this year to make them more stringent.
Thanks to the IIHS’ new criteria, only 48 models qualified for the agency’s 2023 awards. Among this number, 28 were able to earn a Top Safety Pick+ and 20 were able to achieve a Top Safety Pick rating. In comparison, there were 101 winners in the past year, which included 65 models that earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating.
IIHS President David Harkey explained the agency’s test results this year. “The number of winners is smaller this year because we’re challenging automakers to build on the safety gains they’ve already achieved. These models are true standouts in both crashworthiness and crash prevention,” Harkey said.
Among the most notable changes made to the IIHS’ standards involved the agency’s side crash test, which was updated to involve 82% more energy than before. A new evaluation, the nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test, was also rolled out.
Harkey explained the addition of the nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test in the IIHS’ metrics. “US traffic fatalities hit a 20-year high in the first half of 2022, in part due to a steady climb in pedestrian crashes. Safer vehicles can be an important part of the solution, even though reversing the trend will also take a concerted effort from policymakers and other stakeholders,” he said.
Despite these changes, the Tesla Model Y still earned the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ rating, making it one of three all-electric vehicles that earned stellar marks this year. Other all-electric cars that received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS include the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Rivian R1T.
A look at the Tesla Model Y’s page on the IIHS shows that the all-electric crossover scored a “Good” rating on the agency’s updated side-impact test. The Model Y also aced the IIHS’ nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention test.
Interestingly enough, the IIHS announced that it was sunsetting three of its previous safety evaluations from its award criteria. These are roof strength, head restraint, and vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention tests. As noted by the IIHS, the retirement of the “roof strength, head restraint, and vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention tests is also a result of industry progress, which has made these tests less relevant in their current form.”
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Lifestyle
Tesla Cybertruck slapped with world’s least intimidating ticket, and it’s pure cringe
One cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of these babies.

A Cybertruck parked at Stanford Shopping Center in California was recently hit with what might be the most try-hard piece of paper ever slipped under a wiper blade: a “fake citation” accusing the driver of supporting a “fascist car.”
The note, shared on X by Tesla staff program manager Ryan Torres, quickly made the rounds on X, where it quickly gained attention as an example of how not to protest.
The world’s least intimidating ticket
According to the citation, the supposed “violation” was “driving a fascist car.” The remedial action? Take the bus, call an Uber, or ride a bike. The note also dubbed Elon Musk a “chainsaw-wielding Nazi billionaire.” Now, protests against Tesla and Elon Musk have become commonplace this year, but one cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of fake anti-Tesla/Musk citations.
Torres pointed out the irony himself in his post on X. Tesla currently employs over 140,000 Americans, and SpaceX has put the U.S. firmly back at the top of space technology. As Torres put it, maybe the person behind the world’s least intimidating ticket should “read a book on innovation before vandalizing” other people’s property.
Peak performative clownery
Not to mention that the fake ticket’s logic collapses under its own weight. EVs like the Cybertruck are literally designed to reduce emissions, not “destroy the economy.” If anything, Tesla has bolstered the United States’ economy by fueling jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and clean energy. It’s not the first time a Tesla has been the target of vandalism or politically charged notes, but this one stands out for sheer cringe value.
Torres summed it up neatly: “Peak clownery.” On that point, at least, the citation earns full marks. In a way, though, perhaps cringe fake tickets are not as bad as the literal firebombs that were being thrown at Tesla stores and cars earlier this year because some critics were gleefully misinformed about Elon Musk.
News
Why a Tesla Model Y led to a teen’s failed driving exam in Ontario
The issue was due to the driver using the Model Y’s regenerative braking system.

A North Bay, Ontario man has raised concerns after his teenage daughter failed her G driver’s license road test while driving his Tesla Model Y. The issue, the Tesla owner noted, was due to his daughter using the Model Y’s regenerative braking system to bring the car to a stop.
Regenerative braking bias
Eric Simard, the Tesla owner, told CBC News that his daughter borrowed his car for her driving test. Because of this, she was not fully familiar with how to disable the Model Y’s regenerative braking system. Unfortunately, the examiner did not allow his daughter to call him for help in turning off the feature.
Simard noted that his daughter ultimately failed her driving test because she never used the car’s physical brake pedal. In his daughter’s road test results from Drive Test Ontario, the examiner marked a box stating that the Model Y was “out of order.
“I find it pretty frustrating because even though it’s regenerative braking and you’re not using the brake pedal, you’re clearly the one that is in full control of making the vehicle come to a stop or to slow down,” Simard stated, adding that his daughter was also penalized for the Model Y’s feature that alerts drivers when a traffic light turns green.
Discussions on driver-assist technologies
In a comment, Julia Caslin, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation, stated that the province’s graduated licensing system “requires drivers to always demonstrate safe vehicle operation and full control, regardless of the vehicle’s features.”
“Applicants are expected to understand how their vehicle’s system — including lane centring, regenerative braking, adaptive cruise control and automated parking — may affect handling and performance during a road test,” Caslin stated.
Driving instructors also expressed differing views about Simard’s experience. Saad Tariq of Greater Sudbury Driving School said he advises students against relying on driver-assist features because sensors can fail.
Meanwhile, Amanda Lacroix of Northern Lights Driving School suggested road tests should adapt to the technologies drivers use daily, while still requiring mastery of basic skills like mirror checks and manual braking.
“If the world’s going to change and we’re all going to have assisted driving, then we should be learning how to do it properly,” Lacroix said.
Elon Musk
Tesla says it is working on rides for the handicapped and disabled with Robotaxi
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that this was a focus by responding, “Absolutely,” to the embedded post on X above. Tesla said it is developing its own “wheelchair-accessible vehicle,” also known as a WAV.

Tesla says on its Robotaxi app that it is working on enabling “accessibility rides” that would give the handicapped and disabled the ability to hail a Robotaxi to get to an appointment.
While Robotaxi will obviously revolutionize the way we travel for our work commutes, daily activities, and other things, but there is true potential to enable serious change for those who cannot drive.
Autonomous transportation would make life easier for those who are unable to obtain a driver’s license. Of course, with today’s ride-sharing platforms, things are much easier than they once were.
However, rides from Uber and Lyft, while plentiful, always have an opportunity to be unavailable in some regions, especially rural ones, due to a lack of drivers.
Robotaxi aims to solve this problem through autonomous transportation, a technology that Tesla has been developing for years.
However, new language in the Robotaxi app shows that Tesla is working on a solution for people who need rides for medical reasons, and it uses a picture of the Robovan to hammer this point home:
NEWS: Tesla Working on Accessibility Rides as Part of Robotaxi Expansion.
Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin is signaling a major step toward inclusivity with a new accessibility section in the mobile app. While the app directs users to two alternative services, CapMetro Access… pic.twitter.com/rOblFUA40F
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 19, 2025
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that this was a focus by responding, “Absolutely,” to the embedded post on X above. Tesla said it is developing its own “wheelchair-accessible vehicle,” also known as a WAV.
This is likely the Robovan, which was unveiled on October 10 at the Robotaxi event last year:
It is pretty interesting to see two Musk ventures working on solutions for those who are physically impaired or have other disabilities. With Tesla, Robotaxi will unlock immense potential for those who are unable to drive themselves, addressing a genuine need in today’s world.
Additionally, Neuralink is continuing its development of technology to fight against various physical and mental disabilities. A great question to ask is, “Which will be more beneficial for humans?”
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