A discussion on auto safety issues and technological developments, in hopes of providing consumers and enthusiasts with a better understanding of modern vehicles, safety systems, and current issues in the auto industry.
Waymo goes full PR campaign and gets some "journalists" to write that Waymo is safer than a human... without explaining that Waymo's data is like comparing apples to astronauts. Basically, Waymo is better than the worst human drivers on small subset of roads, at slow speeds in limited conditions. Maybe. IIHS releases a study showing that partial automation is, at best, partially beneficial, DC doesn't enforcement traffic camera tickets, Fred explains 4 wheel drive. a Tesla semi catches on fire and Fisker tries to get out of paying for a recall. This weeks links: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/09/human-drivers-are-to-blame-for-most-serious-waymo-collisions/ https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/drivers-quickly-learn-to-skirt-limits-set-by-partial-automation-systems https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/09/tesla-autopilot-and-other-assists-increase-distracted-driving-study-finds/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/09/17/dc-child-struck-driver-tickets/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/05/02/dc-traffic-tickets-driving-penalties/ https://yakym.house.gov/posts/congressmen-yakym-carter-introduce-legislation-to-end-roadside-deaths-involving-disabled-vehicles https://www.thedrive.com/news/as-if-it-couldnt-get-worse-for-fisker-owners-now-they-have-to-pay-for-recalls https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/tesla-semi-fire-required-50-000-gallons-of-water-to-extinguish/ar-AA1qvY7l https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V649-7005.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-PE24025-19754.pdf
We start off this week with California's proposed Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) bill, which aims to warn drivers exceeding speed limits by 10 mph. Next is NHTSA's new safety standards for pedestrian protection and other auto safety innovations. Then, we critique unrealistic claims about autonomous vehicles and highlight a recent investigation into Jeep vehicles catching fire. This weeks links: https://www.autosafety.org/support-us/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/09/10/cars-drivers-speeding-regulations-technology/ https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-proposes-new-vehicle-safety-standard-protect-pedestrians https://electrek.co/2024/09/10/it-turns-out-cyclists-actually-should-roll-through-stop-signs-heres-why/ https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/09/driverless-semis-could-be-months-away/ https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/09/10/from-innovation-to-reality-how-autonomous-trucks-may-revolutionize-transportation-and-logistics/ https://apnews.com/article/jeep-fire-investigation-wrangler-gladiator-e0e10724623de88fedcc9f9b7265eb20 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/car-safety-products-amazon_l_66db5dcde4b01c1d24fc1de2 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V653-8509.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V652-8636.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V643-5167.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V651-4313.PDF
Finally, a congressional bill aimed at setting federal standards for hood height and visibility to protect pedestrians. Another failure of partial automation systems like Ford's Blue Cruise and Tesla's Autopilot. Anthony let's loose on the NY Times, Amazon is using bad tech to monitor it's drivers and the recalls galore. This weeks links: https://www.npr.org/2024/08/23/nx-s1-5084276/pedestrian-protection-bill-bigger-cars-trucks https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/philadelphia-woman-driving-partially-automated-mustang-mach-charged-113359116 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/04/technology/waymo-expansion-alphabet.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/09/03/technology/zoox-self-driving-cars-remote-control.html https://jalopnik.com/amazon-bans-its-drivers-from-moving-their-own-lips-too-1851639312 https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/08/23/vision-zero-dc-traffic-deaths/ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/29/opinion/ai-medicine-neurosurgery-robot-doctors/ https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.07758 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V640-9001.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V635-5852.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24T009-4247.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RMISC-24V615-5182.pdf
This week we are joined by Mike Nelson, chair and founder of QuantivRisk, a risk management and technology company. The discussion focuses on QuantivRisk's innovative approach to analyzing vehicle data and video to objectively assess automotive accidents. This episode covers the challenges of defining and litigating safety in the context of ADAS and autonomous vehicles, particularly the complexity involved in evaluating AI decisions during accidents. This weeks links: https://www.autosafety.org/support-us/ https://quantivrisk.com/ https://www.getcruise.com/news/blog/2024/uber-and-cruise-to-deploy-autonomous-vehicles-on-the-uber-platform/
A follow up on honking Waymo's Will V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) happen?. The Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium lacks consumer and academic vetting in their recommendations for automated vehicle safety. Software stress testing Recalls from Ford and BMW This weeks links: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/waymo-director-says-the-company-s-cars-won-t-honk-at-each-other-anymore/ar-AA1p7puc https://www.npr.org/2024/08/16/nx-s1-5078616/cars-v2x-connected-vehicles-transportation-dot-nhtsa https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/08/odot-reports-fewer-crashes-where-traffic-signs-have-been-replaced-with-radar-based-technology.html https://newsroom.aaa.com/2024/08/the-pandemics-tenacious-grip-on-traffic-safety/ https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/cybertruck-buyers-get-unusual-surprise-a-brand-new-truck-delivered-with-dirt-and-mud-eccd274a https://jalopnik.com/tesla-semi-battery-pack-bursts-into-flames-and-spews-to-1851626775 https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/19/gm-lays-off-more-than-1000-salaried-software-and-services-employees.html https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150505-the-numbers-that-lead-to-disaster https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V597-8956.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V593-3301.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V594-2205.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V591-7109.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V598-3756.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V608-7082.PDF