There Auto Be A Law

A wide-ranging safety rant links soaring car prices and shrinking fuel economy to policy shifts, then flirts with a fix: let Chinese automakers compete—if they build in the U.S., ditch subsidies, and address cybersecurity. "Ghost” trucking fleets game DOT numbers to erase violations and push unsafe hours, begging for tighter oversight. Europe’s tiny Tesla FSD “quiz” gets mocked as flimsy liability...

DC speed cameras nail extreme “super violators,” but out-of-state tags and “it wasn’t me driving” excuses help offenders dodge consequences. Autonomous-vehicle companies are accused of misleading lawmakers by touting tiny “latency” numbers while downplaying real-world delays from human-in-the-loop remote operations and refusing to reveal how often remote operators intervene. New traffic-fatality e...

IIHS data shows bundled driver-assistance features like automatic emergency braking, lane support, and rear AEB cut crash claims, even if repairs cost more. It would be great if there were federal standards. New crash-test rules leave Detroit brands behind, while a NYTimes video on women’s higher crash risk highlights the long-standing male-biased dummy problem and the need for more funding, bette...

This week we're joined by Phil Koopman. We dig into Waymo’s safety claims, noting outdated or unsupported references, shifting software stacks, and metrics that can look better simply because vehicles crash while empty. Plus we highlight regulatory and liability gray zones, arguing “remote assistance” still makes safety-critical driving decisions while industry language tries to make nobody accoun...

A record number of people are fleeing crash scenes, false claims about the accuracy of passive alcohol detection and we explore Waymo's problem with people outside the vehicle. Waymo customers have been getting surrounded and stuck by people that do not like Waymo. Not sure a software update can fix this. More and recalls. Support the show! https://newsroom.aaa.com/2026/03/fatal-hit-and-run-crashe...

The NTSB investigation of a Santa Monica school-zone crash raises questions about remote “assistance” that looks like a human driving task, while San Francisco records show robotaxis stalling and turning police and firefighters into unpaid roadside help. We dismantles media claims that AVs are clearly safer, arguing the cited studies rely on old, limited Waymo data, questionable benchmarks, and co...

Waymo's school bus trouble gets investigated by the NTSB. Was it the fault of remote assistance, the Waymo driver or everyone else? Maybe Waymo's PR team will take a break - they deserve it - and Waymo will give an honest account of it's shortcomings. In Austin Waymo fails at a U-turn and makes a cop move their car. Destination charges are getting out of hand, China is beating the US at AV safety...

Congressional questions spotlight how Waymo downplays remote control by calling humans “assistants,” even while describing tools that remotely drive car at low speed—raising debates about who counts as the driver, latency, transparency, and who is legally accountable when people are hurt. Fred dives into the world of ODD and how AV companies don't want it defined. Plus recalls. Support the show! h...

Tesla removes the term “Autopilot” after a California DMV order. The Halt Drunk Driving Act is supported both by MADD and the alcohol industry but some Republican officials think the government is bad. There is a lot of tech to prevent drunk drivers but, insert scare mongering here. Waymo's PR team does a victory lap by taking over the Washington Post editorial board. Plus more Tesla nonsense and...

Updates on Uber being held liable for driver misconduct, rear seat safety and Manhattan congestion pricing. Waymo gets more gaslight love, Ford gaslights itself, the Feds want to stop funding speed cameras, we get updates to the underrides act plus recent vehicle recalls impacting Toyota, Chrysler and BMW. Support the show! https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/business/uber-safety-rape-verdict.html...

Phil Koopman joins us to discuss Waymo and it's trouble dealing with school zones, school buses and school children. Waymo's PR team claims their vehicle hit a kid safer than a human would have and try not to think to hard about this or you can see it's 99% PR fluff. Plus recalls. Support the show! https://philkoopman.substack.com/p/was-the-robotaxi-crash-really-unavoidable https://philkoopman.sub...

This week we pushed through the muck that is the Terms of Service for Uber, Waymo and Tesla's Robo-Taxi. In summary you are agreeing to give up your rights, likeness and dignity just so you can ride in a car without a human behind the wheel. Strange times.

Safety is not why new cars are expensive but higher prices make consumers hold onto older, less safe cars. Waymo continues the usual nonsense from them and their PR, paid and unpaid, shills. NHTSA gives Tesla more time to explain why FSD fails. More news on Chinese counterfeit airbags and Ford gives us some recalls. Support the show! Donate. https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/sacrificing-safety-is-n...

Anthony says don't get into a Tesla because of their manual door release mechanisms make it "difficult" to escape. New legislative efforts are highlighted, which aim to standardize electric door latch locations. The team also critiques an autonomous driving bill opposed due to its impacts on state regulations and consumer protections. Insight is shared on the push for better automatic emergency br...

Happy New Year! We're back discussing the reckless claim by Elon that you can text and drive, the magical claims from the Consumer Electronics show, the success of the NYC congestion pricing and if a company really made charging slower for coffee enjoyment. Much more and recalls. Support the show! https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c783qd14zl7o https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/mercedes-teaches-...

Happy New Year! We endured another year of Elon's lies, Waymo's PR team and the continuing AI nonsense. As the year is over we cover crown a winner for Gaslighter of the Year and make some predictions for 2026. Support the show! https://junkoyoshidaparis.substack.com/p/waymo-dodgeball-dodge-duck-dip-dive https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-kia-hyundai-theft-settlement-d2dc13dcee3fa65494d4df9f089d...

A power outage leaves Waymo's stranded physically and metaphorically as they, in our opinion, try to figure out who to blame. Tesla is finally told they cannot use the term "autopilot" to sell a feature that is not "autopilot". Uber doesn't seem to care if they hire criminals, New Hampshire thinks safety inspections are no longer needed and some Senators try to make autonomous vehicles stick to an...

NHTSA works to modernize safety standards for AVs Arizona might try adding speed inhibitors to cars of speeder, and Rivian goes more Tesla with talk of full autonomy. Waymo still can't handle school buses but they are watching their passengers give birth. Fred adds to the AV regulators checklist and we've got a couple of recalls. Support Safety. Support the show. https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releas...

The auto industry still doesn't like AEB and listeners have a cynical take on why. Waymo has the best PR and enlists a doctor/investor to carry water for them. And Waymo can't understand school bus stop signs in Texas. Maybe move some of that PR money to safety engineering? Elon encourages his customer to break the law and Hyundai has a unique recall. Support the show! Support safety! https://www....

We start with the importance of proper child car seat fitting during winter coat season. Some progress is being made towards a "female" crash test dummy and Congress plays into the stereotype of being dummies by suggesting safety is too expensive. And the AI nonsense train rolls on. Support the show! Support Safety! https://www.msn.com/en-us/family-and-relationships/parenting/how-do-winter-coats-i...

This is a re-run of an episode we did with Phil Koopman from last July. Still worthy of a listen. The original show notes are here: https://www.autosafety.org/podcast/artificial-intelligence-and-auto-safety-with-phil-koopman-part-2/

Hawaii is using AI to enhance road safety while Telsa uses it to make dubious claims about the future and the lawsuits are continuing. Fred continues his long-distance romance with Waymo, California makes a lemon out it's lemon law and this week we have zero rear view camera recalls. Donate to support the show! https://apnews.com/article/ai-transportation-guardrails-potholes-hawaii-san-jose-9b34a6...

Hands-free driving and driver-assist technologies get studied, Tesla makes claims, Fred pushes Waymo to provide more data. And recalls galore. Support the show! https://news.mccombs.utexas.edu/research/driving-assistance-systems-could-backfire/ https://www.cars.com/articles/hands-free-driving-tech-isnt-as-great-as-you-might-think-518276/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/gene...

Phil Koopman joins us to win the Lifetime Achievement Award for Gaslight Nominee with Sudden Unintended Acceleration. From the Audi 5000 to Tesla, Phil walks us through the nonsense that it's always the humans fault and instead explains how bad hardware and software engineering has led to many of these dangerous situations. Support the show! https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/pubs/koopman18_safeco...

Anthony accidentally disconnected his airbag and counterfeit ones are coming in from China. GM is leaning more into it's Elon tendencies and promoting things that are not ready for prime time. Fred shares more of the Computer-Driven vehicle safety checklist and we've got recalls. Support the show! https://www.autosafety.org/autonomous-vehicle-checklist/ https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/chinese-a...