Tesla Says FSD Is 10 Times Safer Than Humans, Senators Want Proof

Tesla has spent years insisting that Full Self-Driving is safer than a human behind the wheel. A recent report poked holes in that claim, and now two US senators want the NHTSA to take a much closer look at the system.

The trouble started last month with a Reuters investigation. Musk and other Tesla executives have repeatedly said FSD is up to 10 times safer than human drivers, but the report found the company was reaching that figure by comparing crashes in FSD-equipped cars where airbags deployed against the total US crash rate for every vehicle, including minor fender benders where no airbag ever went off.

Read: Tesla’s FSD Was Branded Controversial, But Dutch Safety Regulators Called It The Safest System In The Test

There was a second problem with the math. Reuters notes that Tesla stacks its cars against the average US vehicle, which is far older than the typical Tesla. Newly introduced safety features found across all new cars help to minimize crashes, so the comparison isn’t fair, the report stated.

Now, Democratic senators Edward Markey from Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut have sent a letter to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, demanding answers to a series of questions. Among these questions were whether the NHTSA has evaluated Tesla’s FSD safety claims or requested the underlying crash data it used to make them.

In addition, the senators have urged the NHTSA to strengthen reporting requirements for companies that use advanced driver-assistance systems and self-driving technologies like Tesla.

European Pitch Under Question

It’s not only in the US where Tesla’s safety claims are drawing scrutiny. As part of its push to secure approval for Full Self-Driving across Europe, Tesla reportedly presented inflated safety data to regulators, according to Reuters. The system ultimately won approval from the Dutch regulator RDW, which is now pursuing EU-wide clearance on the automaker’s behalf.

Shortly after the Dutch approval, Tesla policy manager Ivan Komusanac sent an email to Swedish regulators asking for FSD approval. In this email, he reportedly said FSD could save 32,000 lives and prevent 1.9 million injuries, but it’s been revealed that these figures are based on US data if every single vehicle were replaced by a Tesla using FSD. According to the Swedish Transport Agency, it will “look behind headline figures” to determine whether the system is safe enough to approve.