Dutch road authority says 40,000 Teslas in the Netherlands using 'self-driving' software

By Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM, June 17 (Reuters) - The Dutch road authority said on Wednesday that 40,000 Teslas in the Netherlands had begun using the carmaker's "full self driving" driver assistance software and had collectively driven 24 million kilometers (14.9 million miles) so far without any serious incidents.

The RDW agency, which approved the use of the FSD supervised software on April 10 in a European first, said in a statement it is monitoring the technology monthly, rather than yearly as it normally would.

Though it is called "Full Self Driving (supervised)", the software is classified as driver assistance. It can steer a car, accelerate and brake, but drivers must have their eyes on the road and hands ready to intervene.

• "Because of the continuous and strict monitoring of the driver within the vehicle, the driver assistance system is at least as safe as other driver assistance systems," the agency said in a statement.

• The RDW is seeking approval for the Tesla technology throughout the European Union.

• Tesla charges €99 ($115) a month to use FSD software after a one-month trial period.

• The Dutch transport minister defended the approval of the technology in parliament on Tuesday.

• RDW says it conducted 3,000 hours of testing on tracks and roads in varying weather conditions before approval.

• Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania have provisionally approved the software on the basis of Dutch approval.

($1 = 0.8622 euros)

(Reporting by Toby Sterling. Editing by Mark Potter)