I think Tesla's car design is, for the most part, reasonably safe (their driver assist technology is debatable, but that's a side issue). However, there are design trade-offs they made to favor range and power over safety and weight. For instance, the cells they use are substantially more dangerous than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. The latter have lower energy density, so they aren't the best to use in a range-optimized car. (I believe Tesla is now buying LFP cells from CATL for some of their model 3s. Not sure if those are just for the China market or if it's available elsewhere.)
I don't know if they could have done more with their batteries to prevent damage from causing thermal runaway. Maybe they could isolate modules from each other better, or use the built-in liquid cooling system in clever ways. (Maybe use the coolant to boil a reservoir of water, so all the excess heat gets used to make steam?) Maybe add heat shielding between the battery and the rest of the car. Maybe design the battery to detach from the car if it gets too hot.
At any rate, I don't think cars can be made to be perfectly safe, and a modern Tesla is reasonable, especially compared to a gas-powered car. However, the possibility always remains of improving upon Tesla's current design along every desirable vehicle attribute, including safety.
I don't know if they could have done more with their batteries to prevent damage from causing thermal runaway. Maybe they could isolate modules from each other better, or use the built-in liquid cooling system in clever ways. (Maybe use the coolant to boil a reservoir of water, so all the excess heat gets used to make steam?) Maybe add heat shielding between the battery and the rest of the car. Maybe design the battery to detach from the car if it gets too hot.
At any rate, I don't think cars can be made to be perfectly safe, and a modern Tesla is reasonable, especially compared to a gas-powered car. However, the possibility always remains of improving upon Tesla's current design along every desirable vehicle attribute, including safety.