Tesla has submitted self-published safety figures to regulators in Sweden and the Netherlands as part of its effort to secure European certification for its "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) technology, which independent traffic-safety researchers say relies on comparisons that may overstate the system's safety benefits.
According to a Reuters analysis published last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other company executives have increasingly cited safety statistics over the past year to argue that the company's FSD driver-assistance technology is significantly safer than human drivers. However, Reuters found that Tesla's claims were based on several comparisons that researchers said exaggerated the technology's safety performance.
As the electric vehicle maker seeks broader approval for FSD in Europe, where it is attempting to regain market share, Tesla submitted the safety data to several regulators, according to letters obtained by Reuters through public records requests. Tesla began the FSD approval process in late 2024 by approaching RDW (Dienst Wegverkeer), the Dutch road regulator.
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In a letter to RDW in November 2024, Tesla said that increased use of FSD "leads to safer roads" and included a link to its safety report. FSD, which can perform some driving tasks autonomously but still requires drivers to remain attentive, is offered as a monthly subscription service by Tesla.
In April, RDW authorised the use of FSD in the Netherlands after more than a year of testing and discussions with Tesla. The Dutch regulator is now seeking broader European Union approval for the technology on Tesla's behalf.
RDW said in a statement that it "does not rely on marketing claims or external statistics" when making regulatory decisions and instead conducts its own tests, analyses and verifications on public roads and test tracks. The regulator declined to comment specifically on the concerns raised by Reuters regarding Tesla's safety data.
According to RDW, Tesla "collected a lot of data" during the testing process and the regulator "validated, tested and audited all of this data." However, RDW did not specify the exact nature of the information collected or reviewed.
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Shortly after the Dutch approval was announced on April 10, Tesla policy manager Ivan Komusanac emailed Swedish regulators seeking similar certification for FSD. According to Reuters, the presentation included a claim that Teslas using FSD could travel more than seven times farther between crashes than the average American driver.
The presentation also stated that wider adoption of FSD could have prevented 1.9 million injuries and saved 32,000 lives.
Reuters reported that Tesla's comparison was based on crash rates involving FSD-equipped vehicles where airbags were deployed, compared with overall U.S. crash rates that include many less severe incidents. Researchers told Reuters that such comparisons could overstate the technology's safety performance.
Reuters also noted that Tesla compares its vehicles with the average U.S. vehicle fleet, which is significantly older than the average Tesla. Since newer vehicles generally incorporate more advanced safety technologies, researchers said such comparisons may skew the results in Tesla's favour.
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Separately, several Tesla owners cited the company's safety report in correspondence with Norwegian traffic authorities. One submission argued that FSD could "reduce traffic accidents by up to 90%" and therefore save lives on Norwegian roads.
Responding to some of those communications, Stein-Helge Mundal of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration said Tesla's figures were "self-produced" and that it was "difficult to find correlation with the authorities' accident statistics."
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