There Auto Be A Law

Waymo has a rough July 4th in San Francisco: robotaxis roll over live fireworks, one catches fire, and a traffic jam forms with a long line of stalled vehicles; in another case, two 15-year-olds ride one while allegedly drinking and shooting projectiles. A Tesla Semi crash kills two people, raising questions about automatic emergency braking and driver monitoring, while regulators still lack a fin...

Regulators consider letting self-driving vehicles skip manual brake pedals—raising alarms about emergencies and unproven safety metrics. Tesla settles a deadly crash case as critics blast BS safety claims. Meanwhile, “quality” awards and China-car fearmongering get called out, Nvidia’s robotaxi safety talk is vague, steering-wheel “bling” is warned to turn airbags into shrapnel and recalls hit Hyu...

A New York Times deep dive ties the rise of huge pickups and SUVs to pedestrian deaths, spotlighting poor visibility and high hoods that “punt” people into a run-over path, while lawmakers push the Pedestrian Protection Act to force tougher federal scrutiny and consumer ratings. Automakers deflect toward road design and hype pedestrian-braking tech even as industry fights related rules. A fatal hi...

A roast of autonomous-vehicle hype calls out bold Tesla/robotaxi cost and safety claims as unsupported, then shifts to California’s proposed replacement-tire efficiency rules and the tradeoffs between fuel economy, tread life, and tire waste. A wider look at big-profit SUVs and a snarky take on banning Chinese “surveillance” cars leads into why the EU’s AI Act matters—and what it may still miss on...

The “magic” Donut Labs battery gets debunked as ordinary lithium‑ion, tied to a crowdfunding-fueled scam with big promises and no manufactured cells, while real solid-state progress is still coming from major automakers. Americans are keeping cars longer (now ~13 years), slowing the spread of safety tech like advanced AEB. Driverless delivery trucks tout reliability and UL 4600 talk, but robotaxis...

A whirlwind tour of automotive chaos: skepticism toward bold self-driving claims and cherry-picked safety stats, a Tesla crash into a California home, and BYD promising to cover liability when its driver-assist is used “properly.” The discussion also torches rosy “facts” from the autonomous trucking lobby, argues drunk-driving prevention tech isn’t a privacy apocalypse, and flags “zero-gravity” se...

Waymo’s “final remedy” for flooded roads amounts to geofencing around flash-flood warnings, raising doubts about sensor limits, end-to-end AI hype, and slow remote assistance—especially after a robotaxi reportedly sped through a freeway construction zone with police chasing it, prompting a temporary freeway pause. AV's need to identify themselves to other road users. Tesla is criticized for select...

Car ads keep glorifying speed while broadcast rules obsess over seat belts and ignore speeding, and horsepower hype is called mostly useless for real driving. In Europe, some brands accept lower Euro NCAP scores—often split by trim and optional safety packs—while U.S. ratings feel like everyone gets five stars as testing lags and funding stays thin. A federal bill would tack on an annual EV fee to...

A flood sweeps away Waymo's in San Antonio and we dig into safety claims, and why they really don't get tickets. Zook's terms are flagged for burying major warnings, forcing arbitration, and capping liability. Lawmakers are criticized for framing alcohol-impairment prevention tech as “surveillance” while carmakers already monetize driver data. Plus NHTSA is underfunded truck-safety oversight, Tesl...

A New Orleans scheme staged “slammer” crashes into 18-wheelers to cash in on big insurance, spotlighting why dash cams and truck cameras matter and how fraud raises costs for everyone. Regulators also keep letting dangerous “chameleon” trucking companies rebrand and roll on, even with glaring red flags. Meanwhile, phantom braking drama shows how widespread driver-assist tech still lacks strong sta...

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-...