KayLeadfoot

Study: Police Reports Miss 96% of Active Phone Use Before Crashes

A new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study compared smartphone telematics with police reports for almost 17,000 crashes in Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. After excluding passive screen activity such as an untouched navigation display, the data still show a huge gap: phones detected active use before crashes far more often than police documented it.

fuelarc.com/tech/study-police-reports-miss-96-of-active-phone-use-before-crashes/

y'all not got bendy bollards? most bollards are bendy.

is that just a Chicago thing? they don't trust us with solid bollards, it would be a mass-casualty-incident instantly

A non-existent car is ALSO safer than a human-driven car, so it'll sound weird coming from an automotive journalist, but I totally agree. There's no car safer than a railway car.

The human safety supervisor of a Tesla Robotaxi who crashed was apparently sleep deprived and having a mental health episode, so, if you think self-driving cars will insulate you from human foibles, just you wait. The futures going to get real weird!

Broadly I agree, though. The goal is better-than-human. It really shouldn't ever cross a solid line, though.

That was this case, it's all self-reported so take it with a grain of salt, but it was interesting food for thought: https://electrek.co/2026/07/28/tesla-self-driving-manager-rolling-hazards-lawsuit/

I actually looked into that...!

The Google Maps interface lets you see when the street was imaged. It's been that way since 2024, at least. A helpful Redditor shared the link to it.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VZRjSc325Kg7Vpq17

I'm bad as an automotive journalist. What I lack in skill, I make up for with effort and comedic timing

I'm honestly surprised that a Tesla Model Y fit in this gap. Maybe it ran over the first bollard a bit?

Edit: And, IDK, "managed to get out appropriately" in this case would unfortunately mean throwing it in reverse and doubling back through the cross-walk, I think. It's never a good idea to run stuff over to get where you're going.

Tesla Robotaxi Mows Down Bollards & Keeps Driving, After “Impeccable” Record Touted on Stock Call

I mean, I guess "impeccable safety record" is in the eye of the beholder?

fuelarc.com/cars/tesla-robotaxi-mows-down-bollards-keeps-driving-shortly-after-stock-call-touts-impeccable-safety-record/

Tesla Robotaxi Mows Down Bollards & Keeps Driving, After “Impeccable” Record Touted on Stock Call

Take a look at this. A Tesla Robotaxi in Austin pauses, seems to reconsider a right-hand turn through some bollards, and then decides: "I’m just gonna send it."

fuelarc.com/cars/tesla-robotaxi-mows-down-bollards-keeps-driving-shortly-after-stock-call-touts-impeccable-safety-record/

This is how it do.

Also, hey, Taco gang, lfg!

Updated: CyberTruck “Slices Deer in Half”… Elon claims that it is safer for pedestrians.

"Safer" than the chariot from Gladiator with the sword-wheels... maybe?

fuelarc.com/evs/cybertruck-slices-deer-in-half-at-highway-speed-but-what-about-pedestrians/