In a bold move amid escalating scrutiny over autonomous vehicle safety, Tesla Inc. has released its most detailed safety report to date, responding directly to calls for greater transparency from rivals like Waymo. The report, published on Friday, comes just weeks after Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana publicly urged competitors to share more comprehensive data on their self-driving technologies. This development marks a pivotal moment in the race for dominance in the autonomous driving sector, where safety metrics are increasingly under the microscope from regulators, investors, and the public.

The timing is no coincidence. Mawakana’s comments, made during an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, highlighted what she described as a need for the industry to ‘prove their technology is safe’ through rigorous, transparent reporting. Tesla’s response includes granular data on crash rates, miles driven, and comparisons to human drivers—elements that critics have long argued were missing from the company’s previous quarterly summaries. According to TechCrunch, the new report ‘finally addresses some of the biggest criticisms of the paltry “safety reports” Tesla’s released for years.’

The Push for Transparency in Autonomy

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has positioned itself as a leader in safety transparency, regularly publishing detailed analyses of its robotaxi operations. Mawakana emphasized during her TechCrunch appearance that companies must ‘do more to prove safety,’ pointing out that Waymo’s own reports include metrics on collision types, severity, and contextual factors. This stance comes as Waymo expands its driverless services in cities like San Francisco and Phoenix, logging millions of miles with what it claims are superior safety outcomes compared to human drivers.

Tesla’s latest report builds on its Q3 2025 Vehicle Safety Report, which showed one crash per 6.36 million miles driven with Autopilot engaged—nine times safer than the U.S. average, per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The expanded document now includes breakdowns by driving conditions, software versions, and even regional variations, addressing gaps that Mawakana and others have criticized. Posts on X (formerly Twitter) from users like Kalshi have highlighted comparative stats, noting Tesla’s accident rate at 0.15 per million miles versus Waymo’s 1.16 and the U.S. average of 3.90, underscoring the competitive edge Tesla claims.

Scrutiny from Regulators and Crashes

However, Tesla’s safety claims are not without controversy. The NHTSA recently opened an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) software following over 50 reports of traffic violations, including running red lights and illegal turns, as reported by Reuters. This probe, announced in October 2025, adds to a series of inquiries into Tesla’s autonomous tech, with CNN Business questioning why such systems remain on the road despite repeated investigations.

Industry insiders point to a broader pattern. A Guardian report detailed incidents where Teslas drove through red lights or against traffic flow during lane changes. Meanwhile, Tesla’s internal data, as analyzed in a InsideEVs article, suggests Autopilot crashes have increased in frequency, though the company attributes this to greater adoption and more challenging driving scenarios.

Comparative Safety Metrics Unveiled

Delving deeper, Tesla’s new report contrasts sharply with Waymo’s approach. While Waymo’s co-CEO Mawakana acknowledged at TechCrunch Disrupt that perfection is unattainable but transparency is key, Tesla’s data claims a crash rate nine times better than humans. A post on X by Dima Zeniuk echoed Bloomberg Intelligence figures, stating Tesla’s 0.15 accidents per million miles outpaces Waymo’s 1.16. Yet, critics argue these metrics may not account for equivalent operating environments—Waymo operates in controlled urban settings, while Tesla’s FSD is used on diverse highways and city streets.

Further insights from Teslarati reveal that in Q3 2025, Tesla recorded crashes every 6.36 million Autopilot miles, a figure that has improved over quarters. However, an Electrek analysis from July 2025 noted a regression in safety earlier in the year, with Tesla’s own data showing increased incidents, prompting questions about software updates and real-world performance.

Rival Responses and Industry Implications

Waymo’s Mawakana has been vocal about Tesla’s shortcomings. In a Yahoo Finance interview, she stated that Tesla is ‘not doing what’s necessary’ for true autonomy, especially as Elon Musk predicts driverless robotaxis by year’s end. This rivalry is heating up, with X posts from GrowSF citing studies where Waymo’s fleet outperformed humans in 56.7 million miles, dramatically reducing crashes in most scenarios.

Tesla counters with its Q1 2025 report, per Tesla’s official site, claiming one crash every 7.44 million Autopilot miles—over 10 times safer than averages. But as Forbes reported in May 2025, crash videos expose potential malfunctions, calling FSD’s safety into question.

Market Reactions and Future Horizons

The release has sparked immediate reactions on X, with TechCrunch’s post garnering thousands of views and comments debating the data’s validity. Users like Tsla Chan praised Tesla’s Q2 2025 report for including FSD (supervised) data, showing impressive reductions in accidents per mile.

Looking ahead, this transparency push could influence regulatory landscapes. With NHTSA probes ongoing, as detailed in TechCrunch, and Waymo advocating for industry-wide standards, the autonomous sector faces a reckoning. Tesla’s detailed report may set a new benchmark, but only time—and more data—will reveal if it silences the skeptics.

Evolving Standards in Self-Driving Safety

As the debate evolves, experts like those at Applying AI have dissected Tesla’s Q3 2025 report, noting its methodological strengths and market responses. Their analysis highlights how Autopilot’s foundations in AI and machine learning contribute to its claimed superiority.

Meanwhile, Waymo’s emphasis on safety, as Mawakana discussed in Bizwomen, underscores a commitment to transparency that could pressure Tesla further. With robotaxis poised to transform transportation, these safety disclosures are not just reports—they’re battlegrounds for trust and innovation in an industry racing toward a driverless future.