Tesla FSD Approved in Flanders Despite Official Safety Warnings
Belgium's Flanders region approved Tesla's Full Self-Driving Supervised system for public roads in June 2026, despite an official advisory documenting safety concerns including the system's difficulty interpreting Belgian traffic signs and uncertain driver response times. The minister defended the approval, citing positive test results and international precedent.
What happened
On 10 June 2026, Flanders mobility minister Annick De Ridder approved Tesla's Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) system for public roads in Belgium, following testing that began on 26 May 2026.
An official advisory report from the Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken contained several critical safety concerns: the system had difficulty interpreting Belgian and Flemish traffic signs, sub-signs, road markings and certain infrastructure elements; driver intervention response times were uncertain; and the offset function could allow exceeding legal speed limits.
The minister stated the system would contribute to traffic safety due to its defensive driving style and faster response times than human drivers, citing 3.5 times fewer collisions than manual driving in the Netherlands.
Reported impact
The FSD system's limited adaptation to Belgian traffic context posed a risk according to the official advisory.
Governance controls
The Flanders testing phase lasted from 26 May to 10 June 2026, more than 5,000 kilometres according to officials, drawing on the Netherlands' prior testing of over 1.5 million kilometres.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.