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Revised Crash Reporting Rules Ease Burden on Tesla, Raise Safety Concerns Among Experts
Consumer protection groups and automotive safety advocates have expressed alarm at the rule change. Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety, warned that excluding less severe incidents from reporting could hinder the early detection of systemic flaws in ADAS systems. “These lower-severity crashes still offer vital clues about the safety performance of…
Tesla won’t have to report as many Level 2 crashes after Trump’s rule change
“The less restrictive reporting requirements mean some crashes that don’t involve fatalities or serious injuries will no longer be collected by NHTSA as part of the SGO,” Michael Brooks, Executive Director at the Center for Auto Safety, said in a statement. “While these crashes may be of a lower severity, they could be very important…
US Auto Safety Agency That’s Probing Tesla Cuts 4% of Staff
“Public safety should never be threatened at the political chopping block, particularly when clear conflicts of interest are in play,” Michael Brooks, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Auto Safety, which advocates for stringent regulation. By Keith Laing February 24, 2025 (Bloomberg) — The US agency that regulates the auto industry has laid off…
NHTSA culls 4% of staff as DOGE cuts hit auto safety agency
Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, told the Free Press in November that he anticipated dramatic changes at NHTSA with the new administration. “If the first Trump presidency is any indication, we will see NHTSA’s now-active rulemaking division come to a screeching halt. I think we only saw two relatively minor…
New Stellantis self-driving system would let you watch movies. What you need to know.
Michael Brooks, executive director of the advocacy group Center for Auto Safety, said he envisions the same safety issues with AutoDrive that have so far plagued supervised vehicle autonomy. “When a crash is imminent or the computer inevitably experiences a failure, drivers who have bought into the ‘eyes-free, hands-free’ marketing and used these features to…
Robot, take the wheel: What you need to know about autonomous vehicles rolling out across the U.S.
Regardless of what happens to that directive, Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, says that industry groups like AVIA have floated suggestions for regulatory standards. He hopes industry groups bring more consumer advocates, academics, and independent safety researchers into the standard-setting process. “We’re not really guaranteed anything coming out of that process…
How Elon Musk’s crusade against government could benefit Tesla
Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, said some investigations might continue under Trump, but a recall is less likely to happen if a defect is found. “If there isn’t a threat of recall, will Tesla do them?” Brooks said. “Unfortunately, this is where politics seeps in.”…
Tesla, Waymo will add more robotaxis to city streets
Brooks is not optimistic about the future for robotaxis. “It may just be, at least for the next 20 to 30 years, a matter of [them] replacing ride-share and taxi drivers.” By Dan Zukowski January 30, 2025 Self-driving robotaxis will likely appear in more cities and states this year amid a more favorable federal regulatory…
2.6M Tesla vehicles under investigation due to Actually Smart Summon feature; here’s why
Michael Brooks, executive director at the Center for Auto Safety, told the American-Statesman that Tesla’s autonomous driving system is a “vision-only system,” meaning it is camera-based and doesn’t use other sensors like other automakers are using to sense hazards. “Almost invariably, you see cameras unable to cope with nighttime conditions in really lit areas and also,…