There Auto Be A Law Robo-Taxi's and NHTSA asks Tesla some good questions
May 15, 2025
The hosts dive into NHTSA's probing questions about Tesla's robo-taxi, highlighting the regulatory oversight needed for autonomous driving. They tackle Waymo's recalls and assess the challenges posed by New York's congestion pricing. A humorous take on steering wheel safety positions transitions into serious concerns about hot car deaths and the adequacy of current safety measures. Finally, they examine recent automotive recalls and the implications of communication lapses in the industry.
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Crash Rates Show EVs Still In Top Accident Brands
- Insurance data ranked automaker accident involvement; Teslas appeared mid-list (7th) with 8.79 rate, surprising the hosts.
- Several EVs were in the top 10, suggesting EV presence doesn't guarantee lower accident rates.
Adopt 9 And 3 With Push-Pull Steering
- Change hand position to 9 and 3 and use shuffle (push-pull) steering rather than hand-over-hand to reduce airbag injury risk.
- Avoid 10-and-2 positions because modern steering and airbags can cause arm injuries during deployment.
Hot-Car Prevention Stalled By Slow Adoption
- Hot-car deaths persist despite known fixes; federal rulemaking stalled because few manufacturers have detection tech to benchmark standards.
- NHTSA needs more vehicles with occupant-detection systems on the road to craft an effective performance mandate.