Robotaxi Safety Problems Are The New Normal
Waymo announced two separate safety stand‑downs this week, one after robotaxis drove into flood‑water streets in Texas, Tennessee and Georgia, and another after a vehicle struggled through a highway construction zone and allegedly fled police. The flood response relied on an interim operational‑design‑domain restriction that proved ineffective when storms hit before official flash‑flood warnings. The highway pause affects Waymo’s high‑speed routes in Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the Bay Area, highlighting gaps in edge‑case handling and remote‑assistant coordination. Analysts warn that as Waymo scales its fleet, recurring edge‑case failures could erode public trust and invite tighter regulation.
What's the Deal with Level 2/2+ Safety?
Level 2 and emerging Level 2+/2++ vehicle automation rely on a human driver to supervise speed and steering functions. Safety hinges on the driver’s ability to intervene promptly, yet manufacturers often market these systems as more capable than they are, fostering driver...
Self-Driving Cars and Old Computers
Older autonomous vehicles face a looming software‑support crisis as hardware ages beyond the capabilities needed for new safety updates. Manufacturers may shift from active development to maintenance‑only patches, offer costly mid‑life hardware upgrades, downgrade features, or declare end‑of‑life, potentially disabling...
What's the Deal with Safety First for AVs?
The autonomous‑vehicle sector has leaned heavily on the “Safety First” slogan, but critics argue it often masks inadequate safety performance. Recent essays and a podcast highlight how repeated safety promises, when unmet, erode public trust and invite stricter regulation. The...
What's the Deal with Robotaxi Remote Assistants?
The piece examines the emerging role of remote assistants in robotaxi fleets, clarifying that they are not full‑time tele‑drivers but intervene on specific safety‑critical decisions such as school‑bus passes or traffic‑light verification. It outlines a detailed taxonomy that categorises six...
NSTB Findings on Ford BlueCruise Crashes
The NTSB released findings on two fatal crashes involving 2022 Ford Mustang Mach‑E SUVs using the BlueCruise hands‑free system. In both incidents, drivers were distracted—one by navigation, the other by alcohol and a phone—and the vehicles failed to engage automatic...
Sorting Out Remote Operators & Remote Assistants
The piece argues that autonomous vehicle (AV) operations involve far more human roles than the traditional driver versus non‑driver dichotomy. Remote Assistants, Drivers, Operators, and Deciders each carry distinct safety responsibilities, contradicting industry claims that only the AI bears liability....
A Simple Rule for Level 2++ Safety Accountability
The U.S. regulatory gap lets automakers market Level 2+ (or Level 2++) driver‑assistance systems without dedicated safety oversight, despite their robotaxi‑like capabilities. A proposed liability rule would presume any crash caused by non‑malicious driver inattention to be a product defect, shifting the...
We're Talking About Remote Assistants
The Center for Auto Safety podcast argues that the AVSC’s definition of autonomous‑vehicle remote assistants (RAs) incorrectly claims they have no safety role, a premise the industry uses to downplay liability. In reality, RAs intervene in safety‑critical moments, making driving...
Business Insider Video On Self-Driving Cars
Business Insider released a 40‑minute video that surveys the current state of autonomous vehicles, covering practical applications, recent progress, safety concerns, and the gap between hype and reality. The program emphasizes that fully self‑driving Level 5 cars remain elusive, despite advances...
Watch Our Cambridge Forum Webinar on Robotaxis in Cities
The Cambridge Forum hosted a webinar on robotaxis, featuring Arthur Kay and moderator Stephen Guerriero. The discussion targeted urban planners and policy makers, exploring how autonomous vehicles operate, machine‑learning safety challenges, and cybersecurity risks. Speakers examined “safe enough” thresholds, profit‑driven...
Laundering Accountability with Embodied AI
The article warns that autonomous‑vehicle firms are rebranding human remote operators as "assistants" to dodge legal responsibility. By labeling these operators as non‑drivers, companies aim to shift liability from tort negligence to product‑defect claims, even when human error directly causes...
A Suddenly Unavoidable Podcast
The episode examines recent Waymo incidents, including a school‑child collision and repeated passes of stopped school buses, to illustrate how “unavoidable” crashes are often a product of flawed risk models rather than true inevitability. It reviews The Autonomous’s safety‑architecture report...