Key facts
- The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) urged EU member states to reject Tesla's FSD system due to concerns it may allow drivers to exceed speed limits.
- The ETSC stated the system's speed offset function can raise the maximum speed by up to 50% above the detected limit.
- Tesla has not sought an exemption from UN Economic Commission rules for the speed offset function.
- Sweden, France, and the Czech Republic have raised concerns about the system exceeding speed limits.
- The Dutch regulator RDW approved the system in April, with exemptions to UN commission rules.
- The ETSC recommended rejecting the speed offset and traffic-speed matching features.
A safety group has urged European Union member states to reject Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, citing concerns that its speed offset function could allow drivers to exceed posted speed limits. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) stated that the system's offset function can increase the maximum speed by as much as 50% above the limit detected by the vehicle.
The ETSC noted that Tesla has not sought an exemption from United Nations Economic Commission rules to permit the FSD system to exceed posted limits through this offset function. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that delaying FSD approval "will cost lives."
The issue has become a significant point of contention as Tesla seeks to roll out FSD in Europe. The system controls the vehicle's speed and steering but requires the driver to remain attentive. Several European countries, including Sweden, France, and the Czech Republic, have already expressed concerns regarding the system's ability to exceed speed limits.
Despite these concerns, the Dutch regulator RDW approved the system in April, followed by Belgium and a few other nations. Tesla said on Tuesday that its supervised FSD system has also been approved in Croatia, with a rollout across the country expected to begin soon. However, a vote on EU-wide approval, initially anticipated for October, is now not expected until December. The ETSC specifically stated that the speed offset function was not included in the exemptions granted by the RDW. The safety group recommended that European regulators reject approval for both the speed offset function and a separate feature that adjusts driving speeds to match surrounding traffic.