US vehicle safety regulators have begun considering new requirements to ensure people can escape from cars safely, prompted by incidents involving flush, electronically operated door handles, including on Tesla vehicles. The move matters because any eventual rules would apply across the motor industry, although starting rulemaking does not guarantee that regulations will be introduced.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acted after declining a petition seeking a defect investigation into the emergency mechanical release in 2022 Tesla Model 3s, saying rulemaking was more appropriate. It follows a separate Tesla door-handle investigation opened less than a year ago after nine reports of people being unable to enter vehicles, sometimes with children inside; regulators said low battery voltage may prevent electronic handles from working. Tesla has said it is redesigning its handles, while Rivian plans to make its R2’s manual release more visible.