Tesla's Robotaxis: Who's Watching the Watchmen?

Tesla's robotaxis are now cruising around Austin, but they're not exactly setting a great example. Clips online show these autonomous vehicles doing some pretty questionable things. They've been caught driving on the wrong side of the road, making sudden stops for no apparent reason, and even leaving passengers stranded in the middle of intersections. You might expect this to cause a huge stir, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is usually the one to step in when there are issues with driverless cars. They've started looking into these recent incidents, but there's a problem. The government's power to regulate these cars has taken a big hit lately. Under the Trump administration, many safety regulators at NHTSA were let go. On top of that, courts have made it harder for the government to protect consumers.

This isn't just a recent issue. Past governments have also been pretty relaxed when it comes to self-driving cars. They've been eager to get these cars on the road quickly, hoping they'll make driving safer and maybe even bring in some big profits. But this rush to exempt self-driving cars from safety rules is concerning, especially when you look at Tesla's track record. Tesla has been in a hurry to be the first to market with its driver-assist technology. This has made the company a lot of money, but it's also led to crashes and at least 58 deaths. NHTSA has looked into these incidents and even issued some recalls, but they don't have much power to stop Tesla. Even other government agencies have criticized NHTSA for not doing enough to regulate companies like Tesla. With fewer people working at NHTSA and less power to enforce rules, states are left to pick up the slack. California has already stepped in to suspend a permit for another robotaxi company after a crash. But states don't have the same power as the federal government to order companies to stop using unsafe technology. And with the current administration's focus on speed over safety, it's unclear if they'll be able to do much to stop Tesla if things go wrong.

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