However, people have died in the past, and still do, occasionally. So don't do silly things, like bringing insufficient amounts of water, or driving dangerously. Desert driving is not a game. If you are planning to cross the Sahara for the first time, be prudent, do not travel alone, and make sure you travel with people you can rely on. You should travel in a group with at least 2 vehicles, so that if one of them would break down, there would still be one left.
Cars do break down in the Sahara.
Once you get there, you will see the wrecks for yourself. When Eden crossed the Sahara for the first time in 1986, we counted the wrecks along the road. Between Tamanrasset and Arlit, there were more than 200. Today there are fewer, as many of them have been cleaned up. Finally, political issues are a concern in many Saharan countries today, so make sure you feel safe about a country before entering it.