Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
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.
TechCrunch reports that Cruise is being fined $500,000 because they withheld information from regulators. They are also being investigated by the NHTSA for issues with pedestrians, and with the SEC for financial issues.
iSeeCars reports that
Tesla has the highest fatal accident rate by brand, even with their allegedly safety oriented driver assist and FSD.
Not Just Bikes posts an epic video on not just the problems of self driving cars, but how they would turn our cities into driving hell - unless we do something about it.
Reuters reports that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is finally requiring the robotaxi companies to report critical information on incidents. Instead of reporting being optional once past the test phase of an implementation, it will be mandatory to report collisions and when vehicles simply get stuck in traffic or receive tickets.
The Verge reports that Zoox's claim that they have permission to operate on public roads is simply false.
Business Insider reports on how Tesla is requiring test drivers to test Full [sic] Self Driving on public roads - and not take over if at all possible when mistakes occur. The result is that Tesla has been endangering the public by running red lights, speeding, and getting far too close to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Jalopnik reports on how a Tesla on FSD hit and killed deer, and then didn't even stop the car. This crash was due to the Tesla relying on only a vision system instead of 3D sensors such as LiDAR or ultrasonic. If FSD cannot detect a deer it certainly won't be able to see pedestrians in similar situations.
NBC4 Washington reports that the Tesla Smart Summon system is dangerous and shoddy. And even though the self driving system has always had problems, Tesla has switched away from using much needed distance sensors.
Waymo has long claimed that their robotaxis are safe and that the more they drive, the safer they will be. But the number of crashes sure has jumped according to the data from the NHTSA.
Washington Post reports on how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now investigating four Tesla crashes where "Full Self Driving" was engaged. All crashes occurred when there were visibility issues. These suggest that Tesla only using computer vision instead of LiDAR is insufficient for autonomous driving. And this is of course extremely pertinent given that Tesla's stock price is now based on robotaxis, which are in turn based on technology which Tesla does not have and is not pursuing.
The San Mateo County Transportation Authority has published their 126 page draft Automated Vehicles Strategic Plan. While it is good to see that a transportation authority is trying to understand the ramifications of the technology and develop an actual plan, it is unfortunate that they are still misguided with respect to robotaxis improving safety. The key problem is that the drivers who cause safety problems by speeding are not and will not be switching over to using robotaxis. Even if robotaxis are eventually safer than human drivers, they won't make a difference if the problem human drivers won't use them.
Andrew Hawkings at the Verge wrote a truly great article on how the Tesla "robotaxi reveal" will be a joke.
SF Chronicle reports on how a problem with autonomous vehicles is that passengers are trapped when they get harassed. Certainly expect more of this to happen.
David Zipper reports in Fast Company on how the automobile industry managed to prevent this dire needed technology from being required. Identical speed assist systems are already required in Europe on new cars, even ones manufactured in the US. The automobile companies already have to provide this!
Washington Post reports on how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has fined Cruise $1.5 million for withholding key information from regulators.
