Politics

Cars, being fast moving and heavy, are quite dangerous. They should be well regulated for safety. But it turns out regulations can be bought and paid for by lobbying money…

Waymo continues to mislead public on what happened during the San Francisco blackout

Waymo finally acknowledges that its vehicles are not autonomous and that they need human help when encountering complicated situations, such as traffic signals being out during a power outage. Yet they continue to mislead the public. The blackout caused the 5G cellular system that Waymo uses to go down, making human help impossible. The vehicles needing human help is an inherent and unfixable problem for the current Waymo driving system.

Read MoreWaymo continues to mislead public on what happened during the San Francisco blackout

SF Standard – WTF happened to Waymo during the blackout? Industry experts have some guesses

SF Standard reports on how the Waymo problem in San Francisco was due to both to traffic signals going out and Waymo's reliance on the cellular system to use actual humans when there are unusual problems. There will be hearings on both the culpability of PG&E and of Waymo.

Read MoreSF Standard – WTF happened to Waymo during the blackout? Industry experts have some guesses

NY Times – Waymo Suspended Service in San Francisco After Its Cars Stalled During Power Outage

NY Times reports on the widespread Waymo outage in San Francisco during a power failure. The allegedly autonomous Waymos turn out to depend on the cellular system to operate. But the truly scary thing is that Waymo did not even have a contingency plan. They had to be told by the Mayor's Office to suspend service.

Read MoreNY Times – Waymo Suspended Service in San Francisco After Its Cars Stalled During Power Outage

Mission Local – Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams

Mission Local reports on the disaster that was Waymo during a power outage. Waymos were stuck all over, blocking traffic and emergency access. This was due to the vehicles not actually being truly autonomous, but instead on relying on cellular communication that apparently Waymo didn't realize doesn't work when power goes out for a while.

Read MoreMission Local – Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams

The Register – California DMV tells Tesla to ease off on those Autopilot claims

The Register reports that the California DMV is not at all happy with Tesla's marketing the "Autopilot" system. They have found Tesla to be in violation. If they do not update their marketing materials within 60 days they will be suspended from sales in California for 30 days.

Read MoreThe Register – California DMV tells Tesla to ease off on those Autopilot claims

NYT Opinion – The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course.

While the title is correct, we do need to change course, the opinion piece is just another tech fantasy. The truth is that the data show that the solution for safety is clearly better designed streets and better safety policies. Simply look at Europe to see how safety can be greatly improved through street design, not robotaxis.

Read MoreNYT Opinion – The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course.