Safety

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.

Crash, Cruise, Safety, Untruths

Cruise hits, runs over, and drags pedestrian, severely injuring them

Michael Smith
01/23/24
Rev 02/28/24

Detailed crash analysis (completed 1/23/2024, before Quinn report was made available): On 10/2/23 a pedestrian in San Francisco crossed 5th Street at Market Street in the crosswalk as the light turned red. The pedestrian was first hit by a human-driven vehicle, remained on the hood for a distance, and then fell into the adjacent lane. A Cruise robotaxi in the adjacent lane hit the pedestrian and stopped. The Cruise vehicle then proceeded another 20 feet, dragging the pedestrian underneath the vehicle. The pedestrian was severely injured by the Cruise robotaxi. Regulators shut down Cruise service for providing misinformation.

News, Safety, Tesla, Untruths

Ben Jordan – Why Your Car Will Never Drive You Places 🫠

News Republisher
01/7/24

A truly informative and fun video on the complexities and problems of personal autonomous vehicles, with an emphasis on Tesla FSD.

News, Safety, Tesla

Bloomberg – Tesla Recalls 1.6 Million Cars in China Due to Autopilot Crash Risk

News Republisher
01/5/24
Rev 01/7/24

Article in Bloomberg on Tesla’s large recall in China due to problems with “AutoPilot”.

Cruise, Lobbying, Safety, Waymo

Government sources of information

Michael Smith
01/4/24
Rev 01/17/24

There are several very useful sources of information on robotaxis from government agencies: San Francisco City DMV and CPUC NHTSA

Cruise, Safety

Cruise safety information & other documents

Michael Smith
01/4/24
Rev 01/5/24

Cruise publishes information about their safety practices on their website. It includes information on their safety research, testing, redundancy, and more. They also publish a lengthy safety report from November 2022. Documentation on their technology and its development is available as well. Plus the Cruise news blog contains everything from…

News, Safety

NBC News – Driverless cars immune from traffic tickets in California under current laws

News Republisher
12/30/23
Rev 01/2/24

Article from NBC News by Bigad Shaban and Michael Bott. Covers how robotaxis do indeed sometimes violate traffic laws, but how in California they cannot be ticketed. Also covers safety in general.

Cruise, Safety

Cruise “Safety” Video

SafeStreetRebel
12/22/23
Rev 12/30/23

Cruise has long maintained that their vehicles are much safer than human drivers. But this video from SafeStreetRebel shows them doing many illegal and quite dangerous maneuvers.

News, Safety, Tesla

Euro NCAP Safety Tests Paint A Clear Picture Of Tesla’s Self-Driving Systems – But Not The One That Tesla Likes To Portray

Dawn Project
12/20/23
Rev 01/9/24

See full original article and more at DawnProject.com Tesla supporters frequently point to Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP)’s tests of Tesla vehicles to claim that Tesla vehicles are far safer than other manufacturers, and that Tesla’s active safety systems protect those around them. Elon Musk himself has relied on Euro NCAP’s…

News, Safety, Tesla

Rolling Stone – Elon Musk’s Big Lie About Tesla Is Finally Exposed

News Republisher
12/17/23
Rev 01/7/24

Article in Rolling Stone by Ed Niedermeyer. Covers how Tesla’s self-driving technology is inherently flawed.

News, Safety, Tesla

Washington Post – Tesla drivers run Autopilot where it’s not intended — with deadly consequences

News Republisher
12/10/23
Rev 03/10/24

Article from Washington Post on how there have been at least eight fatal or serious Tesla crashes where Autopilot was being used on a road where it should not have been enabled in the first place.

Cruise, News, Safety, Untruths

Reuters – GM’s Cruise may face fines for ‘misleading’ regulator over accident

News Republisher
12/4/23
Rev 01/6/24

Article on Reuters. Covers how a judge has ruled that Cruise withheld key information with respect to the October 2nd crash where a pedestrian was dragged and severely injured.

Cruise, Safety, Untruths

Self-driving cars still aren’t the future

Paris Marx
11/8/23
Rev 01/3/24

Self-driving cars are a fantasy because they are based on flawed technologies. We can and need to do better. The article is from Paris Marxs’ blog at disconnect.blog, where you can also find many other articles on the perils of technologies like robotaxis, and the technologists who foist them on our society.

$$$, News, Safety

Forbes – An Injury Lawyer Says What GM’s Cruise Robotaxi Might Face After Dragging Woman

News Republisher
11/2/23
Rev 01/6/24

Article from Forbes by Brad Templeton. A discussion with a personal injury lawyer on legal issues associated with the incident where a pedestrian was dragged and injured by a Cruise vehicle.

Cruise, News, Safety, Untruths

Automotive News – Cruise robotaxi was second vehicle to strike San Francisco pedestrian, video shows

News Republisher
10/4/23
Rev 01/15/24

See full original article by Pete Bigelow at Automotive News. Editors note: this is a key article because the reporter viewed video from the Cruise vehicle and explains how the pedestrian was not suddenly “hurled” or “flung” into the path of the Cruise. Instead, the pedestrian was not severely impacted…

News, Safety, Tesla

The Dawn Project Video Shows How To Enable Autonomous Robotaxi Mode In A ‘Full Self-Driving’ Tesla

Dawn Project
09/15/23
Rev 01/9/24

See full original article and more at DawnProject.com Santa Barbara, CA – Public Safety Advocacy Group The Dawn Project has released footage showing that a Full Self-Driving Tesla can easily be turned into a driverless robotaxi with just a few household items. These everyday objects easily circumvent the vehicle’s driver monitoring…