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.
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…
Safety on Autopilot: The Pitfalls and Promises of Partial Automation
Waymo goes full PR campaign and gets some “journalists” to write that Waymo is safer than a human… without explaining that Waymo’s data is like comparing apples to astronauts. Basically, Waymo is better than the worst human drivers on small subset of roads, at slow speeds in limited conditions. Maybe. IIHS releases a study showing…
Speed Limits, Safety Standards, and Autonomous Vehicles
We start off this week with California’s proposed Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) bill, which aims to warn drivers exceeding speed limits by 10 mph. Next is NHTSA’s new safety standards for pedestrian protection and other auto safety innovations. Then, we critique unrealistic claims about autonomous vehicles and highlight a recent investigation into Jeep vehicles catching…
Big Cars, Bigger Problems and Driverless Dangers
Finally, a congressional bill aimed at setting federal standards for hood height and visibility to protect pedestrians. Another failure of partial automation systems like Ford’s Blue Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot. Anthony let’s loose on the NY Times, Amazon is using bad tech to monitor it’s drivers and the recalls galore. This weeks links: https://www.npr.org/2024/08/23/nx-s1-5084276/pedestrian-protection-bill-bigger-cars-trucks https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/philadelphia-woman-driving-partially-automated-mustang-mach-charged-113359116…