All the robotaxi companies claim that their safety is much better than obsolete human drivers. But are they really safer given that they seem to crash so often? This clearly needs to be investigated further.
NY Times article on how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla for safety issues with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, which have together led to at least 29 fatal crashes.
SF Chronicle article on how Waymo drove across double yellow line into oncoming traffic for two full blocks. And Waymo describes the motivation as 'safety'? Hah! Full video of incident is included for your viewing enjoyment.
Article from The Verge on how NYC will be allowing robotaxis, but only with human drivers. Importantly, to get a permit operators will need to first report "disengagements" from service in another city. This is critical information that the robotaxi operators have so far refused to hand over.
Forbes article on how a Waymo ran through a red light, causing a rider of a scooter to crash. The vehicle was being remotely operated, and the operator apparently didn't see the red traffic signal. This shows that Waymo has a backup system, but it is not safe either.
Cruise posts an update on their blog indicating that they are doing all this great stuff with respect to safety, yet there is absolutely no new information. Why on earth did they post this article??
Entrepreneur.com reports that Tesla paid no income tax, yet still paid their execs billions. And yet they claim that LiDAR is to expensive for autonomous vehicles.
AAA reports that 91% of surveyed drivers are skeptical overall of fully self-driving vehicles, but are very interested in advanced driver assistance systems such as emergency braking. This indicates that there is not much financial opportunity in robotaxis.
Article by Reuters. The study by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety directly refutes claims by Tesla that their self-driving systems are safer than human drivers.
Article from SF Standard on new laws on autonomous vehicles moving through California legislature. The newest proposed law is by Assemblymember Matt Haney and is for requiring additional data reporting from from autonomous vehicle companies.
Robotaxi disruptions for emergency responders have fallen significantly for the last 6 months. This is due to Cruise suspending operations, and because Waymo is now more careful to avoid geolocated incidences. Also, Waymo now gives emergency responders ability to manually move a vehicle.
While robotaxi companies continue to make false claims about how they are all about safety, an actual solution moves forward. California Senate Bill 961 by Senator Scott Wiener would require Intelligent Speed Assist in new California vehicles in 2027. This is a proven, equitable, and workable solution.
Article from Washington Post on how the first apparent Testa Full Self-Driving fatality was a Tesla employee who was a huge fan of the companies technology. Tragedy ensues.
A discussion between David Zipper and California State Senator Scott Wiener on new legislation to mandate speed regulators on new vehicles. Explains the details on why mandating this simple and already existing technology would greatly improve safety on our roads. Also covers rebuttals to common arguments used against making this safety improvement.
General Motors is slashing Cruise's 2024 budget by $1 billion despite a commitment to its robotaxi venture. Following an accident resulting in investigations, GM seeks to refocus Cruise, now enduring a $2.7 billion loss and restructuring. CEO Barra emphasizes safety and talent retention, as expansion plans are paused.
