Tesla is trying to stop certain self-driving crash data becoming public
a year ago
- #Tesla
- #NHTSA
- #Self-Driving
- Tesla is attempting to prevent the public release of certain self-driving crash data, claiming it is confidential and could benefit competitors.
- The company filed a request to block the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) from disclosing data related to crashes involving self-driving features.
- Tesla argues that releasing this data would allow competitors to analyze the effectiveness of different versions of its self-driving technology and determine crash frequencies linked to various systems.
- The Washington Post sued the NHTSA last year for more details on crashes involving driver-assistance systems like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), but the agency claims the data is exempt from public records laws.
- Tesla maintains that certain crash-related information, such as driver behavior, road conditions, and specific versions of driver-assistance tech, should remain private.
- The Post's lawyers argue that hardware and software version details are not confidential since drivers can access this information via their vehicle dashboards.
- Tesla counters that even if individual vehicle owners know certain details, they share this information with Tesla expecting it to remain private.
- Tesla reportedly uses NHTSA loopholes to redact most crash-related data, emphasizing that its 'self-driving' tech requires active driver supervision and does not make cars fully autonomous.
- Tesla plans to launch its first Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, this month.
- Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, was previously the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which reportedly led to a 10% reduction in NHTSA staff, including half of the team overseeing autonomous vehicle safety.