Auto industry supports gradual increases in fuel economy, opponents promise lawsuits. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule setting corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) and CO2 emissions standards for model years 2021-2026 passenger cars and […]
NTSB Says Tesla Crash Investigation Demonstrates Limitations of Today’s ADAS Systems
Board warns of insufficient federal oversight of partial driving automation systems. Issues nine safety recommendations for regulators, technology companies and auto industry. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public board meeting Tuesday during which it determined the probable cause for the fatal March 23, 2018, crash of a Tesla Model X in Mountain […]
U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Road Safety Initiatives
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Elaine L. Chao today spoke at the 99th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) where she announced new transportation initiatives aimed at harnessing new and existing technologies to improve safety for the traveling public and first responders. Among the initiatives was an endorsement of a call by […]
Four Vehicle Manufacturers Meet Automatic Emergency Braking Commitment Ahead of 2022 Target
Four vehicle manufacturers equipped virtually all the light vehicles they produced for the U.S. market between Sept. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2019, with automatic emergency braking (AEB), three years ahead of a 2022 target. Audi and Volvo joined Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, which hit the target last year, in outfitting all their light passenger vehicles […]
AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and The National Safety Council Adopt Common Naming for Advanced Driver Assistance Technology
AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and the National Safety Council have come together to adopt standardized naming for advanced driver assistance technology in an effort to reduce confusion. To help educate consumers on the benefits, limitations and proper use of these technologies, the four organizations are calling on all safety organizations, automakers and journalists covering […]
Consumer Reports Says Government Documents Show Safety Failures by Tesla
Says NHTSA must do more to hold companies accountable, update 5-star rating program. Consumer Reports yesterday said that emails and other government documents released publicly for the first time show failures by Tesla regarding its safety claims and the performance of Autopilot, and the documents reveal that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must […]
Consumer Reports Says Tesla AutoPilot Needs Immediate Changes, Calls for NHTSA Defect Inquiry
Consumer Reports is calling for changes to Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system in the wake of a preliminary report May 16 from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the fatal March 2019 crash of a Tesla Model 3 with a semi-trailer in Delray Beach, Fla. The report indicated that the Autopilot driver-assist system was […]
Consumer Reports Says Tesla Must Prove Safety Before Claiming Self-Driving Ability
Following a Tesla investor event yesterday that included demonstrations of the vehicle manufacturer’s driving automation technology, Consumer Reports called on the company to prove the safety of its technology and stop using the public as guinea pigs testing new systems. As part of an event with investors, Consumer Reports was concerned the company said that […]
Consumer Reports Says Self-driving Cars Bill Still Falls Short on Safety
As car and tech companies press Congress to approve a bill to speed up the introduction of self-driving cars, Consumer Reports says the bill still falls short of ensuring that these vehicles will be safe for consumers. Senators have shared draft revisions to the bill, known as the AV START Act, in a last-minute push […]
Consumer Reports Calls for Tesla to Disable AutoPilot
“Consumers should never be guinea pig for vehicle safety ‘beta’ programs” In one of the most critical comments issued in the wake of Tesla’s announcement that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was launching an investigation into the vehicle manufacturer’s Autopilot semi-autonomous driving feature following a fatal crash in May, Consumer Reports has called […]