Belgian group: Tesla FSD often misreads speed limits, averaging 44 km/h in 30 km/h zones
Belgian pedestrian and cyclist safety group Johanna.be road-tested Tesla's FSD (Supervised) over three days in July across roughly 400 km, finding it often exceeded speed limits in 20 and 30 km/h zones and displayed incorrect, higher limits to drivers -- averaging 44 km/h across most tested 30 km/h stretches in Brussels. The findings cut against Tesla's own safety data ahead of the EU's October 6 vote on bloc-wide approval.
The group found FSD frequently exceeded posted limits in 20 km/h and 30 km/h zones, and in several cases displayed a higher speed limit on the dashboard than what was actually posted, potentially misleading drivers about how fast they should be going. Across most of the tested 30 km/h stretches in Brussels, the vehicle averaged 44 km/h -- more than 30% over the limit.
Tesla pushed back earlier this month, releasing its own study arguing FSD-equipped vehicles don't speed excessively and match the flow of surrounding traffic. A spokesperson for Flanders' transport ministry, which approved FSD in Belgium, said the system "continuously processes new and additional information" and that the driver "remains 100% responsible" and must be ready to intervene if it errs or misapplies a traffic rule.
The findings arrive two weeks before the EU's October 6 vote on bloc-wide FSD approval. Belgium conditionally approved FSD in June requiring Tesla to submit its own safety data, which recently showed a roughly 9.6x lower collision risk -- making this independent test a contrasting data point as the vote nears. For shareholders, it's a fresh source of uncertainty around the EU timeline.
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