There Auto Be A Law
Podcast Archive
Our podcast discusses 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 industry.
Elon’s Escape Room: Can You Get Out of a Flaming Tesla?
Topics: Kudos to NHTSA for NCAP improvements; Frowns to Ford for recalls; New DOT secretary; Will Washington rubber stamp all of Elon’s dreams? Tesla drivers are dangerous; Tesla’s will trap you in a fire; Renewable natural gas explained; Recall roundup; Links: https://apnews.com/article/automobile-safety-nhtsa-crash-pedestrian-2fc22f755c51bfe9bb668f90e8ee8956 https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/11/16/nhtsa-pedestrian-safety-rule-vehicle-design-head-protection/76094618007/ https://apnews.com/article/trump-duffy-cabinet-transportation-secretary-c465bbc516b5f898233f86bee31a7a45 https://www.freep.com/story/news/investigations/2024/11/14/nhtsa-ford-vehicle-recall-rules-penalty/76293055007/ https://jalopnik.com/teslas-are-the-most-fatal-cars-on-the-road-study-finds-1851700691 https://philkoopman.substack.com/p/people-are-still-being-burned-alive https://www.catf.us/resource/flaring-accountability/ https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/self-driving-cars/ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Missy-Cummings/publication/385936888_Identifying_Research_Gaps_through_Self-Driving_Car_Data_Analysis/links/673c687ab903016a31c41bfb/Identifying-Research-Gaps-through-Self-Driving-Car-Data-Analysis.pdf https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V843-7446.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V839-5482.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V852-6661.PDF
The Chronicles of Auto-Infamy: Drowsy, Distracted, and a Dash of Rust
Topics: Rivian and Volkswagen join forces; NHTSA kinda sorta asks Tesla to clear up it’s communications around cars that drive themselves; What will Elon’s department of efficiency mean for auto safety? Fred deep dives into duty of care with a focus on hazard mitigation; Recalls and rusting cybertrucks; and more Links: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/business/volkswagen-rivian-electric-vehicles.html https://www.autosafety.org/us-agency-says-teslas-public-statements-imply-that-its-vehicles-can-drive-themselves-they-cant/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/13/department-of-government-efficiency-musk-ramaswamy/ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-bicyclist-alert-technology-standard-110315432.html…
Auto Safety in an Unregulated World and Headlights Too Bright
Deep breaths… Hummer EV, what the election means for NHTSA, regulations and everything related to safety. Are LED headlights too brights? Zoox and Tesla have a spat. It’s a new world. This weeks links: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/11/driving-the-biggest-least-efficient-electric-car-the-hummer-ev-suv/ https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/2/24285399/amazon-zoox-robotaxi-nhtsa-fmvss-comply https://electrek.co/2024/10/31/elon-musk-snaps-at-zoox-co-founder-over-critical-tesla-fsd-comments/ https://electrek.co/2024/11/04/tesla-updated-its-summon-feature-now-this-owner-cant-get-to-his-car/ https://www.theguardian.com/global/2024/oct/31/headlights-too-bright https://jalopnik.com/fuel-doors-should-always-be-on-the-passenger-side-do-n-1851689173 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V798-1656.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V794-3598.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V812-2619.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V814-5848.PDF https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V802-9220.PDF
Future Tech Debates: Safety, Automation, and Planned Obsolescence
This week: we start by examining the hype around robo-taxis and their impact on public transportation improvements in automatic emergency braking technology, citing a recent study by AAA, yet highlighting its limitations at higher speeds. Automotive data privacy and consumers’ right to control data collected by vehicles, emphasizing the need for regulation. the challenge of…
From Helmets to Hydrogen, From Tesla to Waymo PR machinations
Topics this week: the decline in all-rider helmet laws the historical impact of the 1964 ‘chicken tax’ on the dominance of SUVs, the ongoing issues with Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ and Summon features. the challenges faced by first responders with electric vehicles the intricacies of autonomous vehicle perception technology recalls Links: https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/lax-helmet-laws-have-killed-more-than-20-000-motorcyclists-study-shows https://www.nsc.org/road/resources/road-to-zero/massive-hazards-new-rtz-report-on-light-trucks https://apnews.com/article/tesla-full-self-driving-investigation-pedestrian-killed-f2121166d60d85bd173a734c91049e73 https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/no-one-in-the-car-self-driving-app-raises-questions-after-maryland-crash/3746690/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/tesla-crash-after-police-pursuit-highlights-challenges-electric-cars-pose-for-1st-responders-1.7335290…
Tesla: Autonomous Revolution, Illusion or Delusion?
This week we debunk Elon Musk’s grandiose claims about Tesla’s Robo Taxi, highlighting regulatory and safety hurdles, and the inflated value of Tesla’s stock driven by speculative products. Regulators can’t seem to keep up with the new safety needs of autonomous vehicles and Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2X) but Gatik AI is making an effort by…
Robo Rides and Recall Realities
Big thank you to Janette Fennell from Kids and Cars Safety for sending us some cool swag. This weeks topics include: Tesla’s controversial full self-driving claims; Regulatory issues surrounding autonomous vehicles; Self-certification in vehicle crash testing; A Fisker recall update; When/why do vehicles get crash tested; The New York legal loopholes in drug-impaired driving; Recalls…
Full Self Driving leads to Dangerous Complacency
Hello listener. Here are some highlights from this weeks episode: NHTSA is making GM Cruise submit a report of it’s software updates every 90 days. Anthony suggests NHTSA ask for the commit logs and other developer documentation so they don’t get gaslit. Tesla’s FSD requires a human to do the full self driving part. Consumer…
Driving Concerns: Chinese Software in American Cars
Highlights: The Biden administration’s policy on limiting Chinese and Russian vehicle technology to protect U.S. data, and the general challenges in tracing vehicle components’ origins. The DHS warns about counterfeit airbags. Anthony calls BS on Sam Altman Michael tells CarMax they are responsible for recalls Fred points out flaws in Torc Robotics and explains GPS…