Issues
Self Driving Car doesn’t understand the police
In this video you can see two San Francisco police officers work to get a Waymo Autonomous vehicle to not run over a fire hose. The first officer has to physically stand in front of it and the other officer tries to stop it by lighting a road flare. The vehicle does not identify the…
Car thieves are still driving off with Kia and Hyundai cars, despite security fix
The automakers’ service campaign to install the software should have been more aggressively pursued, said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. By Tom Krisher, Associated Press May 9, 2023 Nearly three months ago, Hyundai and Kia unveiled software that was designed to thwart an epidemic of thefts of their vehicles, caused by…
US probes complaint that woman was trapped in flaming SUV
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, says drivers should try to pull up the plunger first to escape if their vehicle’s electrical system malfunctions. Beyond that, escape is difficult because many windows now have plastic laminated between two layers of glass and are difficult to shatter. He suggests keeping a…
EVs are much heavier than gas vehicles, and that’s posing safety problems
“Since we’re seeing pedestrian and roadway fatalities at record levels, the introduction of more weight into crashes via EVs will complicate any attempts to reduce the ongoing fatality crisis that has showed no signs of abating,” Center for Auto Safety executive director Michael Brooks tells Axios in an email. By Nathan Bomey April 28, 2023…
As Kia and Hyundai thefts climb in Philly, police halt wheel lock distribution program designed to curb crime
“If every other car manufacturer on Earth is using an immobilizer and you’re not, and your cars are getting stolen and straining city resources across America, I think you leave yourself open to a lawsuit,” said Michael Brooks with the Center for Auto Safety. By Beatrice Forman and Sabrina Iglesias April 30, 2023 The Philadelphia…
Stolen Hyundai used in crash that kills one
“Kia and Hyundai had not been installing immobilizers on most of their vehicles for decades before that,” said Michael Brooks, the Center for Auto Safety’s executive director. “(That) opened them up to this problem: a hack of some sort that allows anyone to break into a vehicle, open up the steering column, insert a USB…
Tesla Cleared by Jury in Autopilot Crash Suit in Los Angeles
“Regardless of the verdict of the Hsu case, there remains a question about whether that technology is safe, whether it’s safe to allow consumers to enable it in certain circumstances,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety. By Malathi Nayak and Joe Schneider Tesla Inc. was found by a Los Angeles…
Thefts prompt 17 states to urge recall of Kia, Hyundai cars
“Michael Brooks (Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety) said NHTSA has been slow to react to auto thefts, even though the stolen Hyundais and Kias are causing safety problems on the roads.” By Adam Beam and Tom Krisher, Associated Press April 20, 2023 Attorneys general in 17 states on Thursday urged the federal…
Why the ‘significant’ weight of electric vehicles is sparking new safety fears
“There are so many scenarios in which that speed and that acceleration are just dangerous to others on the road,” Michael Brooks (executive director of the Center for Auto Safety) said. By Jackson Proskow April 12, 2023 Electric vehicles are under increasing scrutiny from safety experts over the risks they pose in a crash, because of…
US probes crash involving Tesla that hit student leaving bus
Tesla and NHTSA need to determine why the vehicles don’t seem to see flashing lights on school buses and emergency vehicles and make sure the problem is fixed, said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety in Washington. By Tom Krisher April 7, 2023 U.S. road safety regulators have sent a…