Issues

Congressman offers unusual defense in ethics probe

September 14, 2016

By JOHN DUNBAR Center for Public Integrity WASHINGTON — Rep. Roger Williams, the Austin Republican under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, asserts that he did nothing wrong when he offered an amendment that would benefit car dealers — despite the fact that he himself is a car dealer. Members of Congress, under House rules,…

Ralph Nader Acceptance Speech at the Automotive Hall of Fame

September 11, 2016

Federal Regulation Saves Millions of Lives

September 9, 2016

by Ralph Nader September 9, 2016 Fifty years ago this month (on September 9, 1966), President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety laws that launched a great life-saving program for the American People. I was there that day at the White House at the invitation of President Johnson who…

CAS and CFAS Comment on FTC Fuel Economy Advertising Guide

September 8, 2016

Click here to view the CAS and CFAS Comment

Miles to Go on Highway Safety

September 8, 2016

The 50th anniversary of federal auto safety regulation approaches, but there’s not much to celebrate. Signing the regulatory laws on Sept. 9, 1966, President Johnson predicted they would “cure the highway disease.” They haven’t. The “disease” was a deadly pandemic, and still is. The year the laws were passed, some 50,000 people were killed in…

Updated Tesla Model X falcon wing door frustrates owners

September 5, 2016

A software update of the complex computer-controlled gullwing doors on Tesla’s Model X may have created a bigger problem than the one it solved. In an update this past week, Tesla says it adjusted a set of sensors inside the car doors that helped detect whether something was blocking a door from closing. Now, owners…

Editorial: On self-driving cars, proceed with caution: Our view

August 30, 2016

When Ford President Mark Fields announced this month that his company would produce a driverless car — with no steering wheel and no gas pedal — in five years, he did not mince words. Driverless cars, he said, “would have as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago.”…

FTC Sells Out Consumers & Justice Department in Consent Order Allowing GM to Sell Certified Used Cars With Outstanding Safety Recalls

August 26, 2016

August 26, 2016 FTC Sells Out Consumers & Justice Department in Consent Order Allowing GM to Sell Certified Used Cars With Outstanding Safety Recalls In allowing GM to sell unrepaired vehicles with outstanding safety recalls, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) not only is out-of-touch with vehicle safety in America but also jeopardizes the Justice Department’s…

Auto, technology industries clash over talking cars

August 25, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cars that wirelessly talk to each other are finally ready for the road, creating the potential to dramatically reduce traffic deaths, improve the safety of self-driving cars and someday maybe even help solve traffic jams, automakers and government officials say. But there’s a big catch. The cable television and high-tech industries want…

CAS 2016 Letter to US Attorney Preet Bharara

August 25, 2016

August 25, 2016 Mr. Preet Bharara, US Attorney Southern District of New York One St. Andrews Plaza New York, NY 10007 Dear Mr. Bharara: The Center for Auto Safety (“CAS”) calls on your Office to act to preserve the integrity of the Office’s authority under the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (“DPA”) reached with GM on September…