There Auto Be A Law

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...

Waymo's ignores school bus stop signs and warnings, Tesla releases something called "Mad Max Mode" cause they are sociopaths and there is little oversight and regulation for these vehicles. IIHS explores the crash data around headlight glare and we dive into recalls. Support the show! https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/us-investigates-waymo-robotaxis-over-safety-around-school-buses/ar-AA1OP...

Tesla gets another investigation from NHTSA... hopefully this will lead to better regulations before it's too late. China drafts a safety framework that is better than the US and Europe, we introduce our newest project which is helping lawmakers understand computer drivers and Toyota wins recalls. Support the show! https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/10/tesla-fsd-gets-worse-at-driving-nhtsa-opens-ne...

Zoox is asking to be free of safety regulations, Rivian realizes that copying Tesla's door handles is a bad idea, DC cracks down on traffic scofflaws with automated speed cameras and some weeny wants to remove the camera. Drunk driving detection should go mainstream, Waymo plays with stats and lots of recalls. Support the show! https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/zoox-asks-federal-regulators-for-exe...

This week we dive into automated driving systems and their need for metrics we can all understand with returning guest, Dr. Jeff Wishart. Jeff recently published a couple of articles focused on the dynamic driving task, modern convenience and safety features and how to better understand these for all in the industry. Hopefully, regulators will take note and use Jeff's work as a resource in their w...

Fred's out this week. Phil Koopman is in and he educates Anthony on the complexity of rear view cameras. It's all about the Benjamin's. Mainly it's a cost thing, Plus recalls. Donate for safety! https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/09/22/new-nhtsa-head-looks-forward-to-unleashing-american-innovation/ https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-reports-sharp-drop-traffic-fatalities-first-half-202...

Texas lawmakers are starting to re-think the whole no regulations for self driving trucks thing. Tesla's can't see railroad crossing's and NHTSA is investigating the electronic door handles. Plus recalls. Support the show! https://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2025/09/14/driverless-semis-are-taking-over-texas-roads-but-regulations-struggle-to-keep-pace/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/ele...

Reality TV personality and head of the DOT updates autonomous vehicle regulations to, um, stop our adversaries. BMW and Qualcomm team up for some word soup, Anthony wants a grappler, Tesla spouts nonsense and ARK investments laps it up plus more rear view cameras get recalled. Donate for freedom! And because it's good for you. https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/av-framework-plan-modernize-safety...

We dig more into Tesla "hiding" data from their owners and gently ask Tesla's software engineers to not be sociopaths and end this practice. Is your rental car safe? Is Waymo delusion for trying to move into New York City? Is Ford going to recall all the cars? That and more in this weeks episode. Donate to support the show. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/08/29/tesla-autopilot-crash...

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems require human intervention or drivers in other cars need to better? VW has a ridiculous idea - make people pay a subscription fee to use the full capabilities of their car. Fred exposes ChatGPT has a nonsense machine, Elon Musk spouts more nonsense and we cover the latest in recalls. Donate! https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/08/27/upshot/ev-vs-gas-calculat...

We are joined by guest Mike Nelson from Nelson Law. Despite advanced safety technologies, over 40,000 traffic fatalities still occur annually. Mike Nelson highlights four main contributors to the problem: speed, distraction, impairment, and vehicle weight. Plus product liability, who owns your vehicle data and will Fred mow your lawn? Donate Today and let them know we're not going away! Check out...

Zoox gets an exemption from NHTSA, you can steal a car by hacking the tire pressure monitor, when you ride in a Waymo you agree to defend Waymo, Tesla keeps on Tesla'ing and GM wants to bring back Cruise. That and recalls. Donate for safety! This weeks links: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/federal-regulators-give-zoox-an-exemption-for-its-custom-built-robotaxis/ar-AA1K2hi3 https://www.msn.co...

We start with the Tesla courtcase, revealing the company's attempts to withhold crucial autopilot crash data. The discussion expands to Tesla's hazardous software designs and Elon Musk's outrageous claims about future features. Additionally, topics cover the rising issue of sexual misconduct in ride-sharing services, the shocking inefficacy of autonomous vehicles in improving safety, and sobering...

The EPA is trying to eliminate itself, more on Tesla in Austin and SF with a special shout-out to the bootlickers at Munro. Congressman Fong is Wrong when it comes to AV safety. Ford is still trying to improve safety and Toronto is considering making the roads more dangerous for cyclists. That and more. Show your support This weeks links: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/07/...

California looks to suspend Tesla sales and a trial in Florida looks to suspend their danger. The CEO of Waymo says she loves to roller-skate so Waymo's are safe for pedestrians, Volvo has some infotainment issues, Ford has problematic fuel injectors and NHTSA's small staff becomes even smaller. Donate for safety! This weeks links: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/07/22/tesla-califor...

Traffic fatalities have seen a notable decline, with the first quarter of 2023 recording the lowest rate in six years. Cars keep getting bigger blindsports, auto engineers do not want to do normative safety requirements and Ford wins the recall prize. And HSBC validates Anthony's robotaxi suspicion. Donate This weeks links: https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/traffic-fatalities-decreased-first-qu...