Overview

• Seven families of Tesla crash victims have written to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, urging him to maintain safety regulations and prevent Elon Musk’s influence from undermining federal oversight.
• The families emphasized the importance of a Biden-era rule requiring companies to report crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems, which has led to significant regulatory actions, including a 2023 recall of over 2 million Tesla vehicles.
• Tesla has reported over 1,800 crashes involving its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, accounting for 40 of 45 fatal crashes reported to NHTSA through October 2024.
• Concerns have been raised about layoffs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which could affect its ability to enforce safety regulations and conduct thorough investigations.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has publicly committed to allowing NHTSA to continue its investigations into Tesla’s driver assistance systems despite fears of regulatory rollbacks and external pressures.