--- title: "Study Finds that FSD Drives like a Homicidal Maniac Around Cyclists" description: "New research conducted by a pedestrians safety group found that FSD frequently drove above the speed limit and illegaly overtook cyclists." date: "2026-11-14" modified: "2026-11-14" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/tesla-fsd-cyclists" categories: - "Future Society" --- # Study Finds that FSD Drives like a Homicidal Maniac Around Cyclists ![A cyclist passes in front of a white Tesla at an intersection.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* As if cyclists didn't have reason enough to fear cars on the road, it turns out that Tesla's self-driving cars hate them as much as human motorists. In tests of the Elon Musk automaker's Full Self-Driving software, a team of researchers at the pedestrian and road safety organization Johanna.be found that it frequently made a mockery of traffic laws. The cars blazed through neighborhoods and residential roads well above the speed limit, according to findings [spotlighted by *Momentum Mag*](), and kept trying to overtake cyclists, despite it being illegal in Belgium, where the tests were conducted. In 55 percent of the 30 kilometer per hour zones tested, FSD traveled at an average speed of 44 kilometers per hour. Its system displayed the wrong speed limit to the driver in 90 percent of the zones, cruising through at 50 kilometers per hour despite correctly identifying a sign with the posted limit of 30 kilometers per hour moments earlier. Its behavior was even worse on cycle streets, which are shared roadways in Belgium designed to give preference to bicycles. On top of repeatedly trying to overtake the cyclists, "in none of the six tested cycle streets did FSD correctly indicate the applicable 30 km/h speed limit," the researchers wrote in the [report](). On several occasions, the supervising driver had to manually abort an overtaking maneuver. "This evidence suggests that FSD neither recognizes nor appropriately responds to the operational requirements of Belgian cycle streets," they added. Strangely, this is despite FSD otherwise driving fairly courteously around pedestrian cyclists, often yielding to them proactively. But this doesn't "offset the documented failures to comply with speed limits and cycle-street regulations." The cars, at the end of the day, are careening down low-speed roads that are explicity designed to be more comfortable and safe for pedestrians. The findings highlight a key tension in the tech's capabilites, according to the European Cyclists' Federation. "Systems like this sit in an uneasy middle ground of driver and vehicle responsibility," the organization wrote, as quoted by *Momentum Mag*. "They seem capable and often interact courteously enough, and they are certainly marketed confidently enough that drivers believe they are fully autonomous cars." Tesla's Full Self-Driving software, despite its name, isn't capable of fully driving itself. It requires constant supervision and demands that a driver be ready to take over at a moment's notice. The automaker faces a steady barrage of scrutiny and government investigations over the safety of its system, which has been involved in [several deadly]() [collisions](). The findings come as Tesla looks to deploy its tech across Europe, where it's more common for roads to be shared with pedestrians and cyclists than in the US. The continent has long been hesitant to greenlight Tesla's self-driving tech, but [around a dozen countries have recently granted provisional approval](), including Slovakia, Belgium, and Finland. Tesla received a boost after German transport minister Steffen Bilger announced [last month that]() he would back approval of FSD across the European Union, and it soon tellingly [agreed to rename its tech]() "Tesla Assisted Driving" in Europe. If these latest findings are any indication, though, its software still hasn't been fine-tuned to adhere to European traffic laws. **More on Tesla:** [*Tesla Running FSD Slams Into Police Cruiser After Driver Falls Asleep Behind the Wheel, Hospitalizing Two Officers With Serious Injuries*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [FSD Tries to Drive Straight Into Lake]() - [Self-Driving Tesla Almost Crashes Head-on Into Police Car]() - [Experts Alarmed by Videos of Tesla Full Self-Driving Totally Screwing Up]() - [Tesla Owner Says FSD Is Great Except for the Part Where It Can’t Drive in the Sun]() - [Elon Musk Shows Off FSD, Forced to Intervene When It Tries to Drive Through Red Light]() - [Tesla Deploys Self-Driving Mode That Ignores Speed Limits]() - [Cybertruck Gets FSD, Tries to Drive Onto Median in the Middle of Sunset Boulevard]() - [Tesla Fan Profusely Praises FSD For Veering His Car off the Side of the Highway]()