Tesla in the Crosshairs of Authorities: Questionable Safety Statistics for FSD?
Tesla is once again facing serious allegations: US regulatory authorities accuse the electric car manufacturer of publishing misleading safety data for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. The accusation weighs heavily, as Tesla's safety promises are a central pillar of its brand communication and crucial for the acceptance of autonomous driving functions.
What exactly is Tesla being accused of?
The criticism from authorities focuses on the methodology of the statistics published by Tesla. Accordingly, the company is said to systematically downplay accidents involving FSD by selectively presenting data.
The authorities are therefore demanding more transparent and complete disclosure of all safety-relevant data. The allegations are reminiscent of earlier controversies about Tesla's security system tricked with cheap doll heads, where the reliability of driver monitoring was questioned.
Comparative Safety Analysis: Tesla FSD vs. Competitors
One problem in evaluating Tesla's figures is the lack of a uniform standard. The following table illustrates the different approaches and data bases:
The table shows that Tesla's methodology potentially presents safety better than it actually is. Another point of criticism is that Tesla does not compare its FSD safety data with that of competitors such as Waymo, but only with the national average, which also includes many older vehicles without assistance systems.
Relevance for Europe and the German market
The allegations from the US also have direct implications for Europe. The Reuters report on Tesla FSD safety data: Critics consider article misleading had already sparked the debate about the reliability of the data. Since Tesla is pushing ahead with the introduction of FSD Supervised in several EU countries, including Germany, European regulatory authorities are now increasingly demanding transparent evidence.
Approval authorities in countries such as Slovenia awaits EU decision on Tesla FSD Supervised and Czech Republic comments on Tesla's FSD Supervised