Topline
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team wants to scrap a regulatory order requiring automakers to report crashes involving vehicles with automated driving systems, Reuters reported Friday, aligning with opposition to the rule by Elon Musk’s Tesla, which accounts for most crashes reported under the requirement so far.
Key Facts
The Trump transition team recommends the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration end its “Standing General Order,” established in 2021, on crash reporting, requiring automakers to report crashes if automated driving systems are enabled within 30 seconds of the incident, according to an unspecified document obtained by Reuters.
The recommendations ask the incoming Trump administration to “liberalize” regulations on autonomous vehicles and enact “basic regulations” that would enable development in the industry, the document said.
Neither Tesla nor Musk have publicly denounced the order, though Tesla has opposed the rule and believes the NHTSA has presented the data in a way that misleads consumers about the automaker’s safety, two sources familiar with the company’s thinking told Reuters.
In its order, the NHTSA notes consumers should refrain from using the data to compare the safety of one automaker with another because companies collect information on crashes differently, and Tesla believes it reports better data than other automakers, one of the sources said.
Neither the NHTSA nor Tesla immediately responded to a request for comment from Forbes.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Big Number
2,746. That’s how many crashes involving automated driving systems have been reported to the NHTSA since June 2021, according to the agency. Of these, 1,570 (57%) were reported by Tesla, three of which have been investigated by the NHTSA, including two fatal crashes in 2023 that involved Tesla’s “Autopilot” feature.
Chief Critic
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers—excluding Tesla—like Honda, Ford and Kia, among others, has opposed the order for years. The group has argued the NHTSA’s method of collecting data does not sufficiently evaluate the safety of automated driving systems.
What We Don’t Know
Whether Musk is involved with the transition team’s recommendation. Musk, who spent more than $250 million to help Trump get elected, has grown increasingly closer to Trump as one of his largest supporters and appeared with the president-elect multiple times during his campaign.
Key Background
Tesla’s automated driving systems have been the focus of automotive regulators for years. Tesla has pitched its “Autopilot” feature as an advanced driver assistance system that still requires drivers to be “fully attentive” with both hands on the steering wheel and does not “make the vehicle autonomous.” Tesla recalled 2 million vehicles in December 2023 to fix a flaw in the “Autopilot” system after regulators found it failed to adequately detect if the driver was paying attention while the system was engaged. That recall was later probed by the NHTSA, which said it “identified concerns” after “post-remedy crash events” were reported to regulators.
