The Trouble with Exploding Sunroofs
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as NMA E-Newsletter #479 in March 2018. If you would like to receive the weekly newsletter, register here. Update: Several lawsuits have been filed since this post first appeared. Check out some headline updates at the end of this piece. Unfortunately, the trouble with sunroofs continues. As sunroofs become […]
So, Who IS Responsible in a Driverless Car Accident?
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared as NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #617 from November 2020. If you would like to receive the weekly NMA E-Newsletter, subscribe today. For years, an ongoing debate has been raging in the media about who would be responsible when a driverless vehicle injured or killed another road user. Perhaps, we will […]
US Traffic Law History and Why State Laws Are Subordinate
By Chad Dornsife NMA Nevada Activist, Executive Director of Best Highway Safety Practices Institute Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as NMA E-Newsletter #542 from June 2019. The information is still pertinent. If you would like to receive the weekly NMA E-Newsletter, join today! Our Founding Fathers knew that the regulation of our nation’s transportation […]
Leading Causes of Car Accidents and How you Can Prevent Them
Motor vehicle accidents are unfortunately very common in the United States, taking thousands of lives and causing severe and minor injuries every year. Driving safely and following traffic laws reduce the risk of your getting into a car accident. However, the frustrating truth is that you cannot be assured that all the other drivers on […]
Will Car Owners Be Forced To Breathe Into A Breathalyzer To Start Their Vehicles?
By guest writer Joe Cadillic, of the MassPrivatel Blog Editor’s Note: Even though the Moving Forward Act was passed on July 1, 2020, by the US House of Representatives, Senate leader Mitch McConnel has already stated the bill is dead on arrival. So much was thrown into the over 2,000 page bill, including many ‘safety’ […]
Automotive Pre-emption
New cars do lots of things cars didn’t do in the past, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Convenience has its merits. But what about pre-emption? Cars once did as they were told by their owners and no more. If you didn’t want the doors to lock or the lights to come on, they didn’t […]
NHTSA launches Voluntary Website Platform for AV Testing—Why do we Need This?
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Transportation Secretary Elaine Chou made a big splash this week announcing a voluntary reporting mechanism for driverless car companies and states. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls the new program, Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing, or AV TEST. It will be online, and anyone with […]
It’s not all about COVID-19: NMA Auto Tech News for March 15, 2020
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Coronavirus or COVID-19 has already started to dominate the auto tech news sector, but before we do a deep dive, here are two other stories that grabbed my attention over the past three weeks. I was shocked when I read this story from Transport Topics: Starsky Robotics Exits Autonomous […]
Who Gets The Ticket?
What happens when the driver isn’t “speeding,” but the car is? Who gets the ticket? It’s a question bound to come up soon in traffic court given the fact that some new cars—like Sammy Hagar back in the day—can’t drive 55. Or rather, a driverless car can be tricked into driving 85 when the speed limit is […]
Congress Debates AV Regs Again and other NMA Auto Tech Watch News for February 23, 2020
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Earlier this month, Congress debated autonomous vehicle regulations with much of the discussion on safety and liability over speed to the market. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Representative Frank Pallone said, “Troubling safety incidents, regulatory black holes, and lax oversight threaten to disrupt this critical balance and the […]