Trump Transition Team Proposes Lifting Vehicle Accident Reporting Rule - Reuters

Investing.com -- The Trump administration's transition team is proposing to eliminate a rule that requires reporting vehicle crashes to the incoming government. According to a document seen by Reuters sources, this rule was contested by Tesla, the electric vehicle company owned by Elon Musk. The proposal to remove this rule could potentially impact the government's ability to investigate and regulate the safety of vehicles with automated driving systems.

Elon Musk, currently the world's richest person, had previously contributed over $250 million to Trump's successful presidential campaign in November. The removal of the crash reporting requirement would particularly benefit Tesla. Under the current program, the company has submitted over 1,500 crash reports to federal safety regulators, constituting the majority of such reports. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has subsequently launched several investigations into Tesla, three of which stemmed from the reported data.

The proposal to eliminate the crash reporting rule has been put forward by a transition team responsible for developing a 100-day strategy for automotive policy. According to the document seen by sources, this team has described the existing rule as an obligation for "excessive" data collection. Neither Musk nor Tesla has responded to requests for comment on the matter.