Opening a Backdoor for Tesla? US Department of Transportation Announces Relaxation of Some Autonomous Vehicle Safety Regulations

Tesla and other US automakers may benefit from favorable policies. The US Department of Transportation stated on Thursday that, in order to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles, it plans to exempt some safety requirements for autonomous vehicles and relax accident reporting rules.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the government recognizes that autonomous driving is a highly risky innovation race, and the new policy framework will significantly reduce cumbersome procedures and place the industry under unified national standards.

Previously, US regulations on autonomous driving were governed by state regulations, each acting independently.

The US government had previously exempted foreign imported cars from safety rules on autonomous driving, considering that the regulations of the source country might differ from US standards. However, the new rules from the Department of Transportation will also open exemptions to US automakers, provided that the vehicles are only used for research, demonstration, and other non-commercial purposes.

The day before, Musk stated on Tesla's investor conference call that Tesla will launch autonomous taxis in Texas in June. The company has invested heavily in autonomous driving but is facing fierce competition, and failure could shake the company's position in the EV industry.

Mixed Reviews

Musk had previously criticized the US Department of Transportation's rules, citing that the accident reporting rules for autonomous driving were too cumbersome and unfair. Under this framework, Tesla reported a significant number of accidents, partly because it is the largest seller of autonomous vehicles in the US.

The US Department of Transportation stated on Thursday that it will remove unnecessary and repetitive requirements from accident reports, but manufacturers' accident reporting obligations will still be retained, maintaining their regular general regulations for collision reports for vehicles equipped with specific advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems (ADS).

In addition, the revised rules will allow some behaviors that do not comply with US federal safety standards, such as autonomous vehicles without rearview mirrors driving on US roads. The new rules also allow automakers to report minor accidents on a monthly basis and raise the property damage reporting threshold for minor accidents involving autonomous vehicles.

The industry organization ASA, representing almost all major US automakers, praised the US Department of Transportation. Its statement said that the field has long been hindered by government inaction, but the current changes prove that the government also feels a sense of urgency, and the US will not cede leadership in the autonomous driving field to other countries.

However, this change has also drawn criticism. The US public organization ADAS expressed disappointment with the US Department of Transportation's decision to weaken autonomous driving regulations rather than strengthen them. The agency also believes that the expansion of exemptions could lead to fatal consequences.