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.
Could your road go on a diet? Maybe it should as it could make it safer. Did you spend too much money on a stainless tank and are now suffering from unintended acceleration? Contact Tesla and ask if you've been Cyber Trucked. Turbo roundabouts, bad Tesla software updates, daylight savings time and car crashes an update on the Consumer Autonomous Vehicle Bill of Rights and lots of recalls. This weeks links: Support the Center for Auto Safety https://jalopnik.com/tesla-cybertruck-hit-with-stop-sale-because-of-unintend-1851409651 https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktoker-trapped-hot-car-tesla-locked-her-inside-software-update-2024-4 https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/changing-the-clocks-helps-pedestrians-but-hurts-motorists https://www.governing.com/transportation/one-citys-quest-to-rein-in-reckless-driving https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/turbo-roundabout-california-update-19404019.php https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V267-6161.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24E032-1614.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V255-4634.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V256-2391.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V257-2023.PDF https://www.autosafety.org/av-bill-of-rights/
Tesla settles an Autopilot case before the trial starts which makes sense since Elon said they never fight true claims. Another Telsa case involving a 2 year that managed to start the car and crash into his mom has begun and Elon says that his robotaxi's will be announced real soon. Our expert opinion is that Tesla won't produce a robo-taxi within the next 5 years. Don't get high and drive because it's dangerous and the sobriety checks are so poor that you might wind up in jail for a really long time even if you're sober. Fred covers reaction time and we cover some recalls. Enjoy. This weeks links: https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/tesla-fatal-autopilot-crash-trial-33936b42 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/in-2018-crash-tesla-s-autopilot-just-followed-the-lane-lines/ar-BB1ld85O https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/tesla-trial-company-sued-after-toddler-crashes-model-x-into-mom/ https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/teslas-bet-robotaxis-is-long-way-paying-off-2024-04-05/ https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/04/09/kentucky-governor-vetoes-allowing-avs-on-state-roads/ https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/24/04/38134128/detection-of-cannabis-in-bodily-fluids-not-correlated-with-driving-impairment-new-review-shows https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28124573/ https://phys.org/news/2017-01-guidelines-takeover-automated-vehicles.html https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V246-1564.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V240-9036.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V227-7296.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V214-7532.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V228-1895.PDF
This week Dr. Emily Thomas from Consumer Reports joins us to discuss backseat safety. Did you know that there is technology to remind you not to leave your kids in the car? And it's not standardized or required, Dr. Thomas walks us through the tech, the safety of car seats and how Consumer Reports conducts testing for these items. It's a good one. This weeks links: https://www.noheatstroke.org/ https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/car-seats/ https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/2022-traffic-deaths-2023-early-estimates https://www.autosafety.org/support-us/
Oh the joys of dash cams... remember just because you're the one filming doesn't mean that you're not int he wrong. Should you get one? Listen and find out. GM stops selling your data, Elon forces everyone to experience FSD, the solar eclipse might lead to more crashes, and New Jersey is trying to exempt all of their drivers from automated traffic enforcement. This weeks links: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/the-pros-and-cons-of-having-a-dashcam-if-you-get-into-a-car-accident/ar-BB1jM3o3 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/planning-a-road-trip-for-the-total-solar-eclipse-heres-why-you-should-drive-extra-carefully/ar-BB1kA1ii https://electrek.co/2024/03/25/elon-musk-mandates-tesla-install-demo-full-self-driving-beta-every-new-delivery/ https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/03/25/report-independent-shops-face-repair-information-limitations-but-do-have-access/ https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-markey-and-warren-introduce-legislation-to-protect-car-buyers_bolster-safety-of-used-cars https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/03/gm-stops-sharing-driver-data-with-brokers-amid-backlash/ https://www.senatenj.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=278 https://www.carscoops.com/2024/03/the-iihs-explains-why-it-doesnt-crash-test-vehicles-at-higher-speeds/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/chrysler-to-recall-about-286-000-us-vehicles-over-airbag-inflator-issue-nhtsa-says/ar-BB1ksahX https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V207-4244.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-PE24008-10868.pdf
Apparently, if one were so inclined you could replace or reprogram your digital odometer fairly easily because security is not something that is built into car software. How was that for a sentence? 3 adverbs at once. Ouch. Know what else hurts? Drowsy driving. It's under-reported and dangerous. Autonomous driving modes also seem to be dangerous as we see in our Blue Cruise discussion. Maybe we should all stay awake and engaged instead of napping and hoping the car will drive itself to the Piggly Wiggly. Plus we dig into the CAN Bus (that's the lack of security around the software in your car.) This weeks links: https://apnews.com/article/ntsb-ford-blue-cruise-crash-investigation-texas-18db4b71d698c5e4575370df6b09c49d https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/ford-s-bluecruise-hands-free-system-is-the-subject-of-ntsb-probe/ar-BB1k6zdh https://newsroom.aaa.com/2024/03/aaa-fear-of-self-driving-cars-persists-as-industry-faces-an-uncertain-future/ https://aaafoundation.org/drowsy-driving-in-fatal-crashes-united-states-2017-2021/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/kansas-car-dealer-indicted-for-rolling-back-odometers-as-cases-surge-nationwide/ar-BB1k86gr https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/18/new-orleans-bus-explosion-children-saved https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/mar/18/as-washington-lawmakers-pass-on-lowering-limits-fo/ https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24E023-5231.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V191-7561.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V196-5030.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V201-8194.PDF