Tesla looking to fast-track EU self-driving despite motorcycle risks
Dutch authorities say safety – especially around motorcycles – must be proven before any European approval of any Tesla self-driving tech is granted.
Tesla is pushing to introduce its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in Europe, despite a number of serious incidents involving motorcycles. The company has requested early access and exemptions, suggesting that the Dutch approval authority RDW may grant national approval in February 2026.
If granted, that could open the door to wider adoption across the EU, although not in its current form. Under current UN and EU regulations, the system is not permitted, and the list of changes required to make it so is lengthy.
The Dutch RDW (the Netherlands’ equivalent of the DVLA) has now issued a public response, clarifying its position. It confirmed that it has created a schedule with Tesla, under which the company is expected to demonstrate that its “FSD Supervised” system meets the required standards by February 2026. Whether that deadline can be met is still uncertain. The RDW stressed that traffic safety remains the priority, and approval will only be possible once the safety of the system has been “convincingly demonstrated”. The authority also requested that members of the public, including Tesla owners, not to contact the RDW in support of the timeline, as it will have no influence on the decision and only increase the workload.
If Tesla intends to bring Full Self-Driving to Europe, it must follow an established procedure for technologies not yet covered by EU legislation. A Member State must submit an application to the European Commission, in this case, via the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, as set out in EU Regulation 2018/858. Approval would require a majority vote from the responsible EU committee. A successful vote would grant EU-wide exemption; without one, the technology could only be authorised for use within the Netherlands, and other Member States would then decide individually whether to accept it.
Before reaching that stage, however, the system must pass a comprehensive test procedure with a type-approval authority. That would include testing on public roads. In the Netherlands, that process falls to the RDW.
Concerns around motorcyclist safety remain central to the debate. FEMA has urged the RDW to fully scrutinise the technology, particularly in situations involving motorcycles. A recent investigation by Fuelarc.com analysed several fatal Tesla crashes in the US involving riders and found repeated failures in detecting motorcycles ahead, with four of five reviewed cases involving a collision from behind. The report cited limitations in camera-based detection and instances where drivers appeared to over-rely on the system, sometimes admitting to being distracted while it was active.
Compared to a car, van or truck, a motorcycle is smaller, narrower and less easy to spot on the road, even for a human driver. That creates particular challenges for systems built around AI vision, be those lidar or cameras. They also have rear lights that can be located in unusual places compared to most cars, especially when we wander into the field of custom motorcycles. This has been directly linked to other sometimes fatal incidents involving various types of self-driving tech and motorcyclists. For Full Self-Driving to be considered safe, it would need reliable detection under all environmental conditions, effective fallback systems, strict driver monitoring and independently verified safety data related specifically to motorcycles. None of these factors are consistently demonstrated today.
For now, RDW’s stance is that public enthusiasm will not determine the outcome. Only evidence will. And until that arrives, motorcycles must remain firmly in the safety conversation, not on the sidelines.
Mid article Image: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
