A new report indicates that the transition team behind president-elect Trump may recommend removing the car-crash reporting requirement currently in place for automated vehicles. The reporting requirement is opposed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who contends that the rule has been used to unfairly target Tesla. The EV leader has reported 1,500 crashes under the provision, more than any other automaker, resulting in three investigations by the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). Musk contributed roughly $250 million towards Trump’s re-election effort.
According to a report from Reuters, which cites an internal document, the Trump transition team is considering removal of the automated crash reporting requirement in conjunction with a 100-day strategy recommendation on automotive policy.
The NHTSA implemented the crash reporting provision in 2021 as a means to gather data on emerging automated-driving technologies, and requires automakers to report any crash where driver-assistance systems were active within 30 seconds of impact. Since its creation, NHTSA has analyzed over 2,700 crashes, and contends that the provision is vital in identifying potential safety risks of automated technology.
Tesla has been heavily scrutinized under the rule, accounting for 40 of the 45 fatal incidents reported to the NHTSA as of mid-October. Some high-profile cases include a Tesla on “Autopilot” that collided with a semi, resulting in the driver’s death, as well as another incident in California that resulted in the death of the driver and injury to four firefighters.
Tesla maintains that its vehicles are unfairly compared to others because it collects and reports better crash data. There’s also a higher number of Tesla vehicles on the road equipped with autonomous technologies. According to the NHTSA, differences in the ways in which different automakers collect and report crash data mean that the data should not be used to directly compare one automaker to another.
Meanwhile, General Motors announced this week that it will redirect its autonomous driving technology division, Cruise, to refocus on personal vehicle autonomous tech, rather than pursue the goal of fully autonomous robotaxis. Cruise was targeted by the crash reporting provision after a pedestrian was struck by a human-driven vehicle and thrown in front of an autonomous Cruise vehicle in San Francisco.
Clawing back some of last week's losses.
A simpler design may be preferred.
One of them comes with mannequins of the Clampett family.
With a few basic choices.
Five trim levels for Tahoe, three for Suburban.
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This reporting requirement is meant to gather data to help improve driver assistance tech. The goal is to reduce fatalities with these systems in use. There is nothing unfair if a certain manufacturer is required to report more than others. It means their tech is worse and needs improved. I don’t agree with this one. This is the world’s richest man championing for looser guidelines to enrich himself and shareholders rather than protect the lives of road users. Sounds out of touch considering recent events.
Exactly. Tesla wants to return to the days where they could switch off FSD seconds before a collision and claim FSD was not involved.
I thought the era of “you scratch my back, I’ll eliminate any laws that you feel 'unfairly' make you do a better job and/or make a safer product” was over now?
Maybe just outlaw self-driving cars? I mean, why own one if you can’t be bothered to actively participate in the function for which it was created? You want to just sit back and enjoy the ride? Take public transportation. If they think that this technology should be deregulated, they can ride in them. Sometimes stupid can go in the other direction, too.
"You want to just sit back and enjoy the ride? Take public transportation."
Right. I hope that the Insurance Industry prices autonomous-drive out of existence. When will people finally realize that vehicle driving is the MOST demanding and complicated activity humans are capable of doing.
Looks like Elon will successfully get Trump booted from office. But then we're stuck with a man with NO brains (his VP). Wonderful.
From one senile old white man that can’t form a coherent sentence to another old white man that can’t form a coherent sentence. That’ll learn ’em goodly.
Elon was against Trump before he was for Trump. Musk in an opportunist, he saw the way the political winds were shifting and changed to a neo-con MAGA (they’re not Republicans).
No need for MAGA, America IS great.
It's unfair to make me play by the same rules as everyone else - Elon
It's unfair to make me play by the same rules as everyone else - Trump, his cabinet, MAGA's, billionaires & the people that voted for this Jersey Shore Regime.
To all the people who voted for him: What did you think was going to happen? You ain't seen nothin' yet!
Of course Elon is worried. He knows that he needs to do MUCH more work on Tesla. I guess he figures if the accidents aren't reported that they didn't happen, and no one will notice. Tell that to all of the people injured or killed, in one of his vehicles. Not to mention those have lost their houses, when the batteries overheat & blow up. I will never own an EV.
Its like trumps first term, where they said covid cases would go down, if they stopped testing and reporting the results.
Someone at work said, "If they just stopped testing the numbers would stop going up," as if that was the only way it could spread was by counting. Idiots. What ever happened to wanting smart people in Government?
What's funny is, Musk doesn't design or engineer anything at Tesla as he's not an engineer. I don't know why they haven't gotten rid of him, his behavior has damaged Tesla and affected its sales.
A smaller percentage of EV's catch fire compared to ICE vehicles, to be fair. Out of 170K+ Chevy Bolts, there were 16 reported fires. That's less than 1%.
Welcome to "pay to play". Shameless grift, graft, and corruption. What else would you expect from a convicted felon? We are about to enter another one of the endless cycles of eliminate regulations, suffer the consequences, then re-introduce regulations.
Musk donates $250 million to Trump’s election campaign and Trump’s team is looking to eliminate a regulation Musk doesn’t like.
I’m sure there is no connection between the two 😉
Under Trump we will have the best government money can buy….and it appears that it will be bought frequently.
This is why we have the emoluments clause, so Presidents can't be bought......oh wait. He's broke, he'd sell America if he could figure out how. This is what happens when you place Party above Country.
Pathetic state of affairs. You asked for it, you got it... Trump; a man who embodies every conceivable despicable human quality... and then some.
This is what corruption looks like.
This is what happens when you let billionaires buy elections.