The transition team of president-elect Donald Trump is set to make significant changes to existing car-crash reporting requirements to safety regulators. This move has sparked significant discussions and raised various concerns. According to a Reuters report, a document outlining the transition team's 100-day strategy for automotive policy reveals their intention to end these requirements. The report claims that the crash-reporting requirement leads to an "excessive" amount of data collection.

Elon Musk's Stance and Nomination

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been a vocal opponent of the existing crash-reporting program. He has spent over a quarter billion dollars to support Trump's election. In fact, Musk has been nominated by Trump to lead a newly-created "Department of Government Efficiency". This shows the significant influence that Musk and Tesla have in this matter.The existing federal crash-reporting program has been in operation since 2021. Under this program, Tesla has reported a large number of crashes, with more than 1,500 reported to safety regulators. An analysis of the crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also indicates that Tesla accounted for 40 out of 45 fatal crashes reported through October 15. This highlights the importance of Tesla's role in the crash reporting system.Tesla has come under the scrutiny of NHTSA due to its full self-driving software (FSD). In October, regulators opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. The regulator has also asked Tesla to stop making misleading claims about FSD's autonomous capability and reaffirm that the software provides only a driver assist/support system. This shows the need for stricter regulations and oversight in the self-driving vehicle industry.NHTSA's data from the program has led to 10 investigations into six companies and nine safety recalls. This demonstrates the impact that crash data can have on the safety of the public and the need for accurate and timely reporting.In September, NHTSA fined Cruise, the robotaxi startup owned by General Motors, for failing to report a 2023 incident. GM has announced that it will stop developing Cruise as a single entity and focus on a single unit focused on autonomous and assisted driving. This shows the challenges and risks associated with self-driving vehicle technology.Last month, it was reported that the Trump administration plans to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles a top priority for the Department of Transportation. New rules under discussion would not only ease regulations around self-driving vehicles but also raise the cap on the number of autonomous vehicles allowed on public roads. This could have a significant impact on the future of the self-driving vehicle industry.