Tesla Submits Questionable FSD Safety Data to European Regulators to Push Approval

Tesla has submitted its own safety statistics to regulators in the Netherlands, Sweden, and other European countries in an effort to secure approval for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver-assistance system. The data claims that vehicles equipped with FSD have a significantly lower accident rate than the average human driver and suggests that widespread adoption of the system could substantially reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities. In November 2024, Tesla included a link to its safety report in a letter to the Dutch Vehicle Authority (RDW), stating, “Wider use of FSD by vehicle owners will greatly enhance road safety.” Although FSD operates on a monthly subscription basis and can drive autonomously under certain conditions, it still requires drivers to remain attentive and ready to take control at any moment. After more than a year of testing and discussions, RDW approved FSD for use in the Netherlands in April 2025 and is now acting on Tesla’s behalf to seek EU-wide regulatory clearance. Subsequently, on or after April 10, 2025, Ivan Komusanac, Tesla’s policy manager, wrote to Swedish regulators requesting local approval for FSD and attached a presentation claiming that Tesla vehicles using FSD travel more than seven times farther between accidents than the average U.S. driver. The presentation further projected that full-scale deployment could prevent numerous injuries and deaths. However, several independent road safety researchers have criticized these figures as misleading. They argue the conclusions rely on unrealistic assumptions—namely, that all motor vehicles across the U.S., including high-risk types like trucks and motorcycles, would be replaced by FSD-equipped Teslas, each offering over seven times the safety of existing vehicles. Additionally, critics note methodological flaws in Tesla’s comparisons: the company counts only FSD-related crashes severe enough to deploy airbags but compares them against all types of U.S. motor vehicle accidents—including minor fender-benders. Moreover, Tesla compares its relatively new vehicles, which come standard with advanced safety features, against the broader U.S. vehicle fleet, which has a higher average age, thereby skewing results. The Dutch Vehicle Authority stated that its approval decision was based not on corporate marketing claims or external statistics but on independent testing, analysis, and verification conducted both on closed tracks and public roads. However, it did not clarify whether it specifically reviewed Tesla’s U.S.-based safety data or disclose what types of data and metrics were examined. Similarly, Sweden’s Transport Agency emphasized that its evaluation would not rely solely on aggregated safety materials provided by companies but declined to say whether Tesla had submitted additional supporting evidence. The European Transport Safety Council expressed concern about the reliability of the U.S.-sourced safety data Tesla submitted to Swedish authorities and recommended that any conclusions about safety performance should only be drawn after independent academic or qualified research teams validate the underlying raw data. Tesla has publicly stated that gaining FSD approval in Europe is critical to reviving its sales in the region. The company’s European sales plummeted in 2024 following backlash over political remarks made by its executives. Meanwhile, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are rapidly expanding into the European market, intensifying competitive pressures. Under EU rules, FSD must gain approval from countries representing at least 55% of EU member states and covering 65% of the EU population within the coming months to achieve bloc-wide legal authorization. Until then, individual member states may grant national approvals. Greece’s regulator recently indicated plans to approve FSD, citing data “from across the Atlantic” suggesting the system significantly reduces crash rates—but did not confirm whether this data originated from Tesla’s reports. Additionally, regulators in multiple European countries have recently received numerous letters from Tesla owners urging faster FSD approval, citing the company’s safety statistics. Officials at Norway’s Public Roads Administration responded that Tesla’s self-generated data cannot be effectively matched against official national crash databases. As of now, Tesla has not commented on these reports.