There Auto Be A Law

Federal crash tests still rely on a 5’9”, 170‑lb male dummy, leaving heavier, taller, older, and many female body types underrepresented while better (but pricier) sensor-rich dummies exist. Europe pushes intelligent...

This week we're joined by former NASA engineer Chris Chamberlin to discuss oil changes. But first it's Tesla’s steering-wheel-free Cybercab rolls out while claiming self-certified compliance, prompting regulators to...

We look at why sunroofs can shatter—debris, temperature swings, or defects—and why switching to laminated glass could worsen escape in a crash. Telematics data suggests cell phone use before crashes is far higher than...

Privacy-troubled license-plate readers promise shorter data retention while still ripe for abuse, and “park outside” warnings highlight how always-on electronics can spark garage fires. Backup cameras have triggered...

A loose plastic body panel sparks a debate: glue is a hidden, warranty-voiding headache, while tape is visible and replaceable. Flock license-plate cameras—useful for stopping theft, but ripe for stalking, bad data, and...

A sharp, skeptical rundown of how federal regulators are easing the path for autonomous vehicles—highlighting a Zoox exemption from key occupant-protection standards, a thinly funded industry-led push for AV...

Regulators are starting work on new car-door escape rules after reports of people trapped and killed in Teslas when electric latches fail, but the issue wasn’t treated as a defect requiring a recall. The conversation...

Robotaxis rack up clashes with first responders in Austin, and the “training” offered is click-through PR. A critique argues autonomous-vehicle safety isn’t comparable to medicine because AVs lack rigorous independent...

Phil Koopman is back. Federal regulators warned autonomous vehicle operators to fix dangerous interactions with first responders and promised meetings and recall pressure, sparking debate over NHTSA’s limited tools and...

Waymo has a rough July 4th in San Francisco: robotaxis roll over live fireworks, one catches fire, and a traffic jam forms with a long line of stalled vehicles; in another case, two 15-year-olds ride one while allegedly...

Regulators consider letting self-driving vehicles skip manual brake pedals—raising alarms about emergencies and unproven safety metrics. Tesla settles a deadly crash case as critics blast BS safety claims. Meanwhile...

A New York Times deep dive ties the rise of huge pickups and SUVs to pedestrian deaths, spotlighting poor visibility and high hoods that “punt” people into a run-over path, while lawmakers push the Pedestrian Protection...

A roast of autonomous-vehicle hype calls out bold Tesla/robotaxi cost and safety claims as unsupported, then shifts to California’s proposed replacement-tire efficiency rules and the tradeoffs between fuel economy...

The “magic” Donut Labs battery gets debunked as ordinary lithium‑ion, tied to a crowdfunding-fueled scam with big promises and no manufactured cells, while real solid-state progress is still coming from major...

A whirlwind tour of automotive chaos: skepticism toward bold self-driving claims and cherry-picked safety stats, a Tesla crash into a California home, and BYD promising to cover liability when its driver-assist is used...