There Auto Be A Law

Happy New Year! We're back discussing the reckless claim by Elon that you can text and drive, the magical claims from the Consumer Electronics show, the success of the NYC congestion pricing and if a company really made charging slower for coffee enjoyment. Much more and recalls.Support the show!https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c783qd14zl7ohttps://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/mercedes-teaches-its-driver-assist-how-to-handle-surface-streets/https://philkoopman.substack.com/p/mbdrive-assist-pro-is-level-2-plushttps://insideevs.com/news/783380/first-production-ready-all-solid-state-battery-official-specs/https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/self-driving-cars/self-driving-cars-could-prevent-over-1-million-road-injuries-across-the-us-by-2035/ar-AA1TyBS8https://electrek.co/2026/01/04/convoy-electric-semi-brand-sany-pairs-autonomy-with-human-experience/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/05/upshot/congestion-pricing-one-year.htmlhttps://www.autosafety.org/autonomous-vehicle-checklist/https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V903-7748.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V896-2258.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V899-5489.pdf

Happy New Year! We endured another year of Elon's lies, Waymo's PR team and the continuing AI nonsense. As the year is over we cover crown a winner for Gaslighter of the Year and make some predictions for 2026.Support the show!https://junkoyoshidaparis.substack.com/p/waymo-dodgeball-dodge-duck-dip-divehttps://apnews.com/article/minnesota-kia-hyundai-theft-settlement-d2dc13dcee3fa65494d4df9f089dd386https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/24/tiktok-tea-tyme-hit-pedestrian-chicagohttps://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/fords-calling-out-congress-over-affordability-hearing-and-teslas-the-reason-why/https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/now-we-know-the-fee-for-puking-in-a-tesla-robotaxi/ar-AA1ThKcjhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V885-4683.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V893-5513.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V894-5559.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOA-DP25002-34954.pdf

A power outage leaves Waymo's stranded physically and metaphorically as they, in our opinion, try to figure out who to blame. Tesla is finally told they cannot use the term "autopilot" to sell a feature that is not "autopilot". Uber doesn't seem to care if they hire criminals, New Hampshire thinks safety inspections are no longer needed and some Senators try to make autonomous vehicles stick to an operating design domain. Plus recalls.Support the only show that pulls the curtain back on tech-bro nonsense.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/us/waymo-san-francisco-power-earthquake.htmlhttps://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/waymo-san-francisco-power-outage-21255470.phphttps://electrek.co/2025/12/17/ca-judge-rules-tesla-lied-about-fsd-must-fix-marketing-within-60-days/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/business/uber-background-checks-sexual-assault.htmlhttps://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sens-markey-and-blumenthal-introduce-new-safety-legislation-for-self-driving-carshttps://carnewschina.com/2025/12/06/baidus-robotaxi-causes-accident-in-a-central-city-of-china-leaves-two-in-intensive-care/https://www.jalopnik.com/2053325/new-hampshire-rid-car-inspections/https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/amazons-zoox-recall-332-us-vehicles-over-software-error-nhtsa-says-2025-12-23/https://www.autosafety.org/autonomous-vehicle-checklist/https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V857-8946.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V859-5125.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V863-7819.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V882-4922.pdf

NHTSA works to modernize safety standards for AVs Arizona might try adding speed inhibitors to cars of speeder, and Rivian goes more Tesla with talk of full autonomy. Waymo still can't handle school buses but they are watching their passengers give birth. Fred adds to the AV regulators checklist and we've got a couple of recalls.Support Safety. Support the show.https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/modernizing-safety-standards-for-automated-vehicleshttps://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2025/10/31/arizona-to-consider-speed-limiting-devices-to-improve-road-safety/https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/news/2025/12/13/tesla-grok-ai-serious-concerns/87070442007/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/san-francisco-woman-gives-birth-in-waymohttps://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-viral-video-mom-daughter-find-stranger-trunk-waymo-macarthur-park/18286019/https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/waymo-school-bushttps://apnews.com/article/f150-pickup-ford-vehicle-thefts-technology-242273a5e3aeb0203535c5cd2ee85c89https://www.autosafety.org/autonomous-vehicle-checklist/https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25E084-7732.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V846-0479.pdf

The auto industry still doesn't like AEB and listeners have a cynical take on why. Waymo has the best PR and enlists a doctor/investor to carry water for them. And Waymo can't understand school bus stop signs in Texas. Maybe move some of that PR money to safety engineering? Elon encourages his customer to break the law and Hyundai has a unique recall.Support the show! Support safety!https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/president-trump-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-unveil-new-freedom-meanshttps://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/trump-fuel-economy-rollback-may-make-cars-cheaper-higher-gas-bills-will-absorb-2025-12-08/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2025/12/05/trump-wants-u-s-carmakers-to-make-a-tiny-car-why-it-wont-happen/87602253007/https://electrek.co/2025/12/04/elon-musk-tesla-fsd-drivers-can-now-text-drive/https://www.autoblog.com/news/all-of-russias-porsches-were-bricked-by-a-mysterious-satellite-outagehttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOT-PE25013-30888P1.pdfhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/officials-expand-probe-into-waymo-over-robotaxis-driving-around-school-buses/ar-AA1RNTBOhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/opinion/self-driving-cars.htmlhttps://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/12/the-amount-gm-spent-on-its-defunct-cruise-robotaxi-service-will-shock-you/https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V816-8746.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V826-4232.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V836-4853.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V833-5047.pdf

We start with the importance of proper child car seat fitting during winter coat season. Some progress is being made towards a "female" crash test dummy and Congress plays into the stereotype of being dummies by suggesting safety is too expensive. And the AI nonsense train rolls on.Support the show! Support Safety!https://www.msn.com/en-us/family-and-relationships/parenting/how-do-winter-coats-impact-your-child-s-car-seat-effectiveness/ar-AA1RtFwOhttps://www.npr.org/2025/11/21/g-s1-98694/crash-test-dummy-resembles-womenhttps://www.wsj.com/business/autos/senate-committee-to-challenge-auto-safety-mandates-that-hurt-affordability-43944765?https://www.jalopnik.com/2032529/new-york-wants-to-ban-car-subscriptions/https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-AI-Useful-Progress/dp/191739148X https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V807-4146.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V808-2163.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V796-7086.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V794-5581.pdf

This is a re-run of an episode we did with Phil Koopman from last July. Still worthy of a listen. The original show notes are here:https://www.autosafety.org/podcast/artificial-intelligence-and-auto-safety-with-phil-koopman-part-2/

Hawaii is using AI to enhance road safety while Telsa uses it to make dubious claims about the future and the lawsuits are continuing. Fred continues his long-distance romance with Waymo, California makes a lemon out it's lemon law and this week we have zero rear view camera recalls.Donate to support the show!https://apnews.com/article/ai-transportation-guardrails-potholes-hawaii-san-jose-9b34a62b2994177ece224a8ed9645577https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/10/confusion-over-slow-down-move-over-laws-puts-roadside-responders-at-risk/https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/advocates-weakened-auto-lemon-law-hurts-consumers/dadd0e79-60ef-4a97-8b1b-e0ff9b549953https://philkoopman.substack.com/p/new-tesla-fsd-safety-datahttps://electrek.co/2025/10/29/tesla-robotaxis-keep-crashing-despite-safety-monitors/https://electrek.co/2025/11/17/tesla-robotaxi-had-3-more-crashes-now-7-total/https://electrek.co/2025/11/17/tesla-settles-another-lawsuit-autopilot-crash-4th-losing-trial/https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/11/tesla-safety-driver-falls-asleep-during-passengers-robotaxi-ride/https://www.autosafety.org/autonomous-vehicle-checklist/https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V766-2002.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V764-4046.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V767-6304.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V785-7898.pdf

Hands-free driving and driver-assist technologies get studied, Tesla makes claims, Fred pushes Waymo to provide more data. And recalls galore. Support the show!https://news.mccombs.utexas.edu/research/driving-assistance-systems-could-backfire/https://www.cars.com/articles/hands-free-driving-tech-isnt-as-great-as-you-might-think-518276/https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/general/vehicle-safety-alerts-that-change-driver-habits-are-key-to-saving-lives/ar-AA1QdO3Khttps://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a69382722/ohio-senator-looks-up-democratic-colleagues-vin/https://www.autosafety.org/autonomous-vehicle-checklist/https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/11/these-gm-vehicles-can-no-longer-download-apps-through-their-infotainment-system/https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/boston-weighs-clampdown-on-driverless-taxis-in-threat-to-waymo/ar-AA1Pqpi9https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V735-5129.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V741-6856.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V721-9987.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25E070-6420.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25E071-6571.pdfhttps://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V744-2593.pdf

Phil Koopman, an accomplished automotive safety engineer, delves into the perplexing issue of sudden unintended acceleration. He highlights the evolution from mechanical to electronic throttles and the dangers of misinterpreted data blaming drivers instead of faulty systems. Phil recounts the Audi 5000 case and explains legal tendencies that obscure engineering failures. He warns about the risks of complex software systems and the industry’s pushback against safety improvements, all while emphasizing the need for better regulatory standards.