Tesla FSD win: Nation-wide regulation for Autonomous Vehicles for the US

In a surprise move, President Trump’s transportation department has decided to keep the Biden-era rule requiring automakers and tech companies to report crashes that involve fully or partially autonomous vehicles. But they’re making a few changes that are likely to have a big impact on Tesla.

According to USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy, the new framework aims to “slash red tape and move us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety.”
Under the previous SGO, if a vehicle with a Level 2 driver assist system or above had a crash that didn’t involve a fatality or a vulnerable road user (think pedestrian or cyclist), it had to be reported within 5 days if the vehicle had to be towed away or had an airbag deployment, said Sam Abuelsamid, VP for market research at Telemetry and an expert in autonomous vehicle technology.

Now, under the revised rule, a crash only has to be reported if the vehicle has a Level 4 automated driving system, like Waymo. Vehicle crashes involving Level 2 systems that don’t involve a fatality or vulnerable road user are now exempted from reporting. And who benefits the most from this change?

The department also expanded the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP), previously open only to imported vehicles, to now include domestically produced cars.

My Take:

Some media said the new rule compromises safety. In actual fact, it makes the process more efficient still advancing safety.

“By streamlining the SGO for Crash Reporting and expanding an existing exemption program to domestic vehicles, we are enabling AV manufacturers to develop faster and spend less time on unnecessary process, while still advancing safety,” said NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser in a statement.