Trump may repeal self-driving accident reporting rules, hand over

Elon Musk has long shied away from the same request, but it looks like he may finally get his wish

If there’s one thing America loves, it’s a tug-of-war between corporate power and government regulation, especially when it involves cutting-edge technology, grumpy CEOs and lots of car crashes. Now, under a standing order issued in June 2021, any accident involving an autonomous driving system must be reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That rule keeps automakers honest — well, sort of — but now a new rule has surfaced that documents suggest the Trump administration wants to kill it.

Surprise, surprise: A potential repeal would be a huge win for Elon Musk and Tesla, while also giving regulators fewer tools to control self-driving technology.

More: See what happens when two cars hit a Chinese electric car at 60km/h in triple crash test

Reuters reports that it has seen a document that “suggests scrapping the requirement for companies to report self-driving vehicle crash data.” It’s worth noting for several reasons, not the least of which is one of the requirement’s biggest opponents: Elon Musk. The high-profile CEO not only publicly campaigned for Donald Trump before the election, but also became his largest donor, spending at least $277 million to support him, and now he will benefit significantly.

Tesla Rules real Hate

Under current rules, Tesla, like many other companies, must report accidents to NHTSA under a general order if two specific criteria are met. First, the vehicle’s Level 2 autonomous driving system must be in use within 30 seconds of the accident. Secondly, the accident must involve a vulnerable road user (such as a pedestrian or cyclist) or result in “death, the vehicle being towed, airbags deploying or anyone being taken to hospital for treatment”.

Musk opposed the order for a number of reasons. To be fair, NHTSA itself even outlines some potential problems with the order on its website. Car companies, for example, can only report accidents they know about – which isn’t always as simple as it sounds.

“For example, some entities may have detailed vehicle and accident data immediately after an accident because the vehicle provides immediate telematics, while other entities may only learn about the accident from a consumer complaint filed days or weeks later, That may include limited crash information, NHTSA said.

Reuters pointed out that an analysis of NHTSA accident data showed that as of October 15, Tesla accounted for 40 of the 45 fatal accidents reported by the agency. Not only is Tesla reporting more accidents, but the statistics look stacked against the brand, which seems reasonable since many of its cars have Level 2 driving technology and owners are using it more.

Additionally, Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina who focuses on autonomous driving, said Tesla collects real-time crash data that other automakers do not and, therefore, may report “a greater proportion of its accidents”. event” than its competitors.

Can Tesla wait? perhaps.

To this end, Reuters said that a source said that Tesla executives have been hoping to suppress accident reports for years. The team apparently believes the only solution is to wait until President Biden is out of office and his administration supports the plan.

In the meantime, stay tuned — because if things unfold the way they seem, you might be hearing about it the next time someone’s Tesla decides to “help” them fall into a ditch.