President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is planning to end a car-crash reporting requirement opposed by Tesla, according to documents obtained by Reuters. Such a move would cripple the government's ability to investigate and regulate the safety of self-driving vehicles, but it would please Elon Musk, whose company has reported most of the crashes — more than 1,500 — to federal safety regulators in compliance with the rule.
Tesla took an early lead among automakers in developing advanced driver-assistance features, which help drivers with lane changes, driving speed and steering. But its point of pride, the Autopilot and "Full Self-Driving" systems, which are not fully autonomous, have led to multiple lawsuits and a DOJ criminal probe over charges that Tesla exaggerated its vehicles' self-driving capabilities, misled investors and put consumers at risk of injury or death.
