Trump's team to scrap NHTSA's autonomous car crash requirement

Incoming president Donald Trump's transition team wants to scrap a car-crash reporting requirement that helps the NHTSA investigate and regulate self-driving vehicles. The group slammed the requirement for requiring "excessive" data collection, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Jason Miller, a Trump transition senior adviser, said the recommendations came from outsiders rather than from within the transition team.

Related: Can Tesla’s NACS chargers save Volvo’s stalled EV sales?

What is this reporting rule and why does Tesla hate it?

The rule dictates that automakers must report crashes if advanced driver-assistance or autonomous-driving technologies were engaged within 30 seconds of impact as well as other factors.

The reason likely stems from the fact that Tesla is responsible for more than 1,500 crashes reported under the program, making them a majority offender compared to other automakers, as well as Musk's role in the upcoming administration.

NHTSA crash data also shows that 40 out of 45 fatal crashes reported through October 15 were the result of Tesla's Full Self-Driving system (FSD), which isn't fully self-driving yet.

It's not just Tesla either. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most major automakers except Tesla, has also criticized the requirement as "burdensome."

The rule has reportedly been a benefit to overall automotive safety

NHTSA responded by saying that more than 2,700 crashes have been reported by numerous automakers since the rule was created in 2021. The data led to 10 investigations into six companies and nine safety recalls involving four different companies. 

One such investigation involved GM's Cruise, their autonomous taxi division that was recently dissolved and will be absorbed into GM's Super Cruise team.

Related: Why GM pulled the plug on Cruise robotaxis

Tesla's higher reporting standards might actually be a bane for them

Despite recent criticism of Tesla's FSD not being as good as the automaker claims, there is also a chance that the high crash numbers are not a Tesla-exclusive phenomenon.

Insiders claim that Tesla reports better data than other automakers, like real-time crash data, leading to higher crash numbers than others. They also have a lot more cars with self-driving capabilities on the road which in turn means more situations that can lead to crashes.

Whatever the real situation may be, the team's other recommendation to "liberalize" autonomous-vehicle regulation and enact "basic regulations to enable development," might anger some people who want more rules to ensure that autonomous vehicles are truly safe for everyday use.

Final thoughts

Wanting to deregulate a system based on ensuring a nascent technology is safe for the general public is not a good look. Fewer rules and less crash reporting do not make something safer.

Remember when Trump said "If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any," when it came to COVID reporting? It's the same idea here. Lobbying to forgo safety just because it is inconvenient for businesses is so blatantly ignorant for the public that it should outrage anyone, regardless of what make or model you support. It's just plain irresponsible.

Related: Why Lamborghini delayed the Lanzador EV by a full year