The Trump administration’s transition team has recommended eliminating a car-crash reporting rule that automakers must follow, including Tesla, which has strongly opposed the measure. The rule, enforced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), requires automakers to report crashes involving advanced driver-assistance or autonomous-driving technologies.
The recommendation was outlined in a document seen by Reuters, which described the rule as an “excessive data collection mandate.” Critics say removing the rule would hinder the government’s ability to investigate and regulate the safety of emerging automated-driving systems, such as Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.
Tesla, led by Elon Musk, has submitted data on more than 1,500 crashes under the program, accounting for the majority of incidents reported to NHTSA. The data has been pivotal in NHTSA’s investigations, including probes into Tesla crashes that led to multiple recalls in 2023.
For instance, Tesla vehicles were involved in two high-profile incidents in 2023. In one, a car using Autopilot collided with a tractor-trailer, resulting in a fatality. In another, an Autopilot-equipped Tesla struck a firetruck, killing the driver and injuring four firefighters.
NHTSA has emphasized that the crash-reporting requirement is critical for evaluating the safety of driver-assistance systems. The agency has used the data to identify patterns and conduct 10 investigations into six companies, resulting in nine recalls across four automakers.
Critics argue that Tesla’s crash data may disproportionately highlight its vehicles due to the company’s extensive reporting systems and higher usage of driver-assistance features compared to competitors. However, experts like Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor specializing in autonomous driving, note that Tesla’s transparency may also give the impression that its vehicles are involved in more crashes than others.
Musk, who has advocated for federal regulations to streamline autonomous vehicle development, has criticized the current system as overly burdensome. During an October earnings call, he argued for a unified approval process to replace the patchwork of state laws that automakers currently navigate.
Musk’s close ties with the Trump administration have further fueled speculation about his influence on the transition team’s recommendations. After Trump’s election, Musk was appointed co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, a role focused on cutting federal regulations and spending.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most automakers except Tesla, has also criticized the crash-reporting rule as unnecessarily burdensome. However, NHTSA maintains that the program is essential for ensuring public safety as automated-driving technologies become more prevalent.
Whether the proposed changes will be implemented remains uncertain. For now, the debate underscores the growing tensions between regulatory oversight and innovation in the rapidly evolving autonomous vehicle industry.
