[garsh]

Shouldn't the car be able to prevent unintended acceleration?

Pressing the accelerator signals to the car that you intend to accelerate.

You might be thinking of Obstacle Aware Acceleration. This is a configurable option in Tesla vehicles. If set, it prevents sending full power to the motors when it looks like you'll hit something, but won't prevent you from actually hitting it.

Model Y Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn about Collision Avoidance Assist and its specifications.

www.tesla.com