Issues

US agency says Tesla’s public statements imply that its vehicles can drive themselves. They can’t.

November 8, 2024

Auto safety advocates fear that if Musk gains some control over NHTSA, the Full Self-Driving and other investigations into Tesla could be derailed. “Of course the fox wants to build the henhouse,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit watchdog group. By Tom Krisher November 8, 2024 The U.S.…

Experts: Trump presidency could benefit Detroit automakers, but cost car buyers more

November 7, 2024

“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 final rules make it across the finish line from 2017-2020 in Trump’s first term, whereas the Biden NHTSA has been far more active in rulemaking efforts,” Brooks…

Is Amazon’s robotaxi company trying to sidestep federal safety laws?

November 4, 2024

“Our belief is that a deployment of these vehicles on public roads is a violation of the Safety Act,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety. “Zoox isn’t so much exploiting a gray area as they are putting a foot over the red line and challenging NHTSA to call their bluff.”…

Musk tests the role of money in U.S. politics with multimillion-dollar effort to back Trump

November 1, 2024

Musk has even offered to help develop national safety standards for self-driving vehicles, alarming auto safety groups, which also worry that he could interfere with investigations of Tesla. “Of course the fox wants to build the henhouse,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety watchdog group. By Brian Slodysko, Thomas…

Data-Driven: Consumer Disclosure Report exposes not just home addresses, but driving habits

October 28, 2024

“Unfortunately, right now in America, there’s very little law around who controls that data. Consumers don’t have a lot of rights in law that say this is your data and you can control it,” Brooks said. He does believe, however, that if the information isn’t identifiable, it could be helpful to keep the roads safe.…

Bill would codify NTSB school bus safety recommendations

October 23, 2024

“America’s school buses lack much of the essential safety equipment protecting us in our cars every day, which is why the Center for Auto Safety commends Representative Cohen for the reintroduction of the School Bus Safety Act.  The School Bus Safety Act would protect schoolchildren with effective seat belts and fire prevention, modernize the school…

‘No one in the car’: Self-driving app raises questions after Maryland crash

October 22, 2024

“They’re just not ready for prime time,” said Michael Brooks with the Center for Auto Safety. Brooks told the I-Team he believes releasing any beta feature to the public is dangerous. “They’re releasing them too early before they’ve been, you know, validated as safe – before they’ve been validated to work properly,” he said. By…

US to probe Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions

October 18, 2024

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the previous investigation of Autopilot didn’t look at why the Teslas weren’t seeing and stopping for emergency vehicles. “Before they were kind of putting the onus on the driver rather than the car,” he said. “Here they’re saying these systems are not capable…

What to do if your car is under recall, but the repair isn’t ready yet

October 16, 2024

“After that date, even the fastest recall repairs are going to require a month or more delay during which time the manufacturer may be developing and testing the recall remedy, possibly designing new parts, and getting parts and repair instructions to dealers,” said Michael Brooks, head of The Center for Auto Safety. “A certain amount…

Deadly Decade: U.S. traffic deaths soar by 30% since 2014

September 27, 2024

Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Michael Brooks said the spike in traffic fatalities started in 2020 and peaked in 2022. “When COVID hit, we saw a pretty significant jump,” Brooks said, pointing to a graph of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data. By Angie Moreschi, Nathan Aaron, and Mike Griffith September 27, 2024 Driving…