Robotaxis: US regulator reviews Tesla school-zone speeds – Musk takes aim at Waymo
US safety regulator NHTSA is reviewing a petition alleging Tesla's driverless taxis sped through school zones. Musk, meanwhile, accused rival Waymo of running over pets.
Symbolic image · Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on October 9 opened a review of whether to act on a complaint about Tesla's robotaxis. An unnamed petitioner alleges the vehicles exceeded speed limits in active school zones with the automated driving system engaged and submitted three video links as evidence. An estimated 1,000 vehicles are covered, according to The Next Web. No crashes or injuries are cited. The review is explicitly not yet a formal investigation, and there is no deadline.
Speed is also holding Tesla back in Europe: Germany wants the driver-assistance system capped at 10 percent above the posted limit, while the Dutch regulator, according to Reuters, approved a version allowing up to 50 percent over. An EU-wide vote is now possible in December at the earliest.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk meanwhile attacked rival Waymo. In a livestream, he called its vehicles “pet destroyers” and claimed Tesla had solved the detection of hard-to-see animals, without presenting data. According to NHTSA data analysed by Business Insider, Waymo reported at least nine animal-involved crashes between July 2025 and July 2026, and Tesla, with its smaller fleet, one. The agency cautions that differences in reporting and operations limit direct comparisons.