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Specific safety concerns cited by Tabarot

Tabarot identified two main safety problems:

• Speeding: The system permits the vehicle to exceed posted speed limits by up to 50%, which Tabarot said is unacceptable under French traffic law . He argued that a driver-assist system should not be designed to break speed limits .

• Driver attention at intersections: FSD does not adequately ensure the driver remains attentive in complex urban environments, particularly at intersections . Tabarot stressed that FSD is not a fully autonomous system — the driver remains legally responsible at all times — and the current driver-monitoring safeguards are insufficient .

Tabarot also said that France is open to true Level 4 self-driving cars as early as 2027, but only if the technology demonstrably obeys traffic laws .

Where the approval process stands

The process is currently at a stalemate:

• Netherlands (provisional approval): The Dutch road authority RDW granted Tesla a provisional type approval for FSD (Supervised) under UN regulation R-171 in April 2026, after an 18-month evaluation . The RDW has been seeking EU-wide recognition through the EU Motor Vehicle Technical Committee.

• Other countries that followed the Netherlands: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, and Lithuania have also provisionally approved FSD on their roads .

• France's rejection (July 22–23, 2026): France is the first EU government to formally oppose the Dutch push. Tabarot stated that France will not rubber-stamp the Dutch approval and wants the system to meet stricter safety benchmarks before it can operate on French roads .

• Next steps: An EU-wide vote by the Motor Vehicle Technical Committee could come as early as fall 2026, but France's opposition signals that unanimous member-state approval is not guaranteed . Sweden's transport authority has also indicated it should vote against FSD .

Elon Musk's response

Elon Musk responded sharply on X (Twitter). On July 22, 2026, he posted:

"Delaying the approval of FSD in France will cost lives."

The post was a direct reply to a video of Tabarot explaining France's decision . Musk's argument follows his long-standing claim that Tesla's assisted-driving technology is safer than human drivers and that regulatory delays prevent accident reductions . Several outlets characterized the response as a "life-or-death warning" aimed at pressuring French regulators .