YSK: it's not just Tesla, 1/3 of cars in built in the last ten years have passenger/rear windows that are almost impossible to break in an emergency.

The problem wasn't the glass.

The problem was using wtf touchscreen controls to shift between drive and reverse. Mrs. Chao confused the two then died.

Shitty UI kills another person. Tesla fucking up basic UI design is the real villain here.

it shatters into many tiny and dull pieces

Those pieces are not dull. They're just not jagged and shaped like knives like normal glass. I accidentally broke the rear window on my truck and, thinking it was dull like you described, started to pick it up with my hands. Big mistake.

This is astroturfing.

The issue with Tesla has never been that the windows are hard to break. The issue is that the rear doors are electronic with manual override hidden in a camouflaged panel at the bottom of the door pocket. A door pocket that was added to hold things. Those things will block access to the emergency door open.

Good news for 2023 Honda HRV owners, because the rear glass shatters spontaneously on its own.

We need HARD rules and regulations for car door handles and common controls. This push for screens and lack physical elements needs to stop.

And Tesla, being the helpful sort, also makes it hard to open the doors in an emergency. The front might have manual door release mechanism somewhere - good luck finding it when the car is on fire or sinking. The rear... not so much.

EuroNCAP is changing its testing regime to negatively score manufacturers who remove critical physical controls and it should probably include door handles in that regime.

Wasn't it also the door opening mechanism was electronic and it stopped functioning once underwater?

You're not breaking a tempered glass without the designated tool either and almost nobody has that. There's this famous clip of a news anchor demonstrating how "easy" it is to break a car window with a hammer and he needed like 8 attempts.

The reason Tesla was in the news over this was because a rich lady reversed into a pond. So the rear windows wouldn't be facing up in that situation...

Why did they switch to laminated in the side and rear windows?

Anyone know of a reasonable tool that can get through laminated glass and be kept near the drivers seat?

Tempered glass windows offer better theft protection which is why they are increasingly used.

I guess those vehicles' drivers should always roll down their windows when near bodies of water in case they go in

Unsafe back seat passenger exit starts earlier than that, my 2005 Saturn had a set of horrible doors. I avoided carrying more than one passenger as often as possible.