Articles by David Shepardson

Why Big Internet Firms Think They Should Remain Shielded from Content Liability

A 23-year-old law giving technology companies legal protection from lawsuits over user-generated content remains critical to the internet’s future, Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit and social media site Reddit Inc. said in testimony released on Tuesday. Senior executives from Google, Reddit, …

Regulators Looking Into Reports of Tesla ‘Smart Summon’ Parking Lot Incidents

U.S. regulators are looking into parking lot crashes involving Tesla Inc. cars driving themselves to their owners using the company’s Smart Summon feature, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Wednesday. Several users have posted videos on social …

Boeing 737 Fund Will Pay Crash Victims’ Families $145K Each

Boeing Co. will pay the families of 346 people killed in two fatal 737 MAX crashes $144,500 each from a $50 million financial assistance fund announced in July, the fund’s administrators said on Monday. The fund, overseen by Washington lawyers …

FAA Invites Global Regulators to Meet Over Boeing 737 Status

Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson has invited about 50 aviation safety regulators from around the world to an informal briefing in Montreal next week on the status of the grounded Boeing 737 MAX, according to an email seen by …

California Highway Barrier Wasn’t Repaired Prior to Fatal Tesla Crash

California state transportation officials failed to repair a highway safety device seriously damaged in a high-speed crash 11 days before a fatal collision in March 2018 involving a Tesla in Autopilot mode, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday. In …

Tesla Autopilot Design, Plus Driver Error, to Blame for 2018 Crash: Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday cited driver errors and Tesla Inc.’s Autopilot design as the probable cause of a January 2018 crash of a Model S into a parked fire truck on a highway in California. The …

Automakers Call for Urgency in Advancing U.S. Rules for Self-Driving Vehicles

Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, on Thursday urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to “promptly” remove regulatory barriers for cars without steering wheels and brake pedals. Automakers must currently meet nearly 75 auto …

New FAA Chief Asked to Review Agency’s Handling of Boeing Crashes

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Monday she has asked the new head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assess the agency’s performance in the wake of two fatal crashes of Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX planes since October. …

Tesla Under U.S. Scrutiny Over Safety Claims

Tesla Inc. received a cease-and-desist letter last year from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for making misleading statements over safety ratings of its Model 3 cars, according to documents seen by Reuters. The documents also showed that …

Senators Question Federal Oversight of Boeing, Certification Deferrals to Manufacturers

A group of U.S. senators on Wednesday questioned the Federal Aviation Administration oversight of Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX as the agency defended the longstanding practice of deferring much of the process of certifying new aircraft to manufacturers. At a Senate …