America needs fat dummies

Federal crash tests still rely on a 5’9”, 170‑lb male dummy, leaving heavier, taller, older, and many female body types underrepresented while better (but pricier) sensor-rich dummies exist. Europe pushes intelligent speed assistance and even satellite enforcement, but accuracy, hacking, and real-world driving edge cases raise concerns. Waymo drew dozens of police calls and now touts a new compute chip, prompting worries about revalidating safety and cosmic-ray-induced electronic upsets without strong standards. GM gets heat for cheap backseat “kid reminder” software instead of true presence detection. Tesla takes hits for reckless FSD hype and rising crash reports. A banned counterfeit Chinese airbag inflator claims an 11th life. Recalls: Ford F‑150 fuel tank straps, Toyota C‑HR overcharge shutdown, Ford Bronco curtain-airbag burr.

Donate!

• https://celticswire.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2026/09/10/crash-test-dummies-get-second-look-for-safety-from-michigan-labs/90886527007/
• https://insideevs.com/news/801020/eu-mulling-satellite-speed-limits/
• https://www.designnews.com/automotive-engineering/waymo-unveils-custom-5nm-asic-to-power-real-time-autonomous-driving-with-1000-tops-performance
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/general/police-records-show-how-waymo-robotaxis-struggled-on-san-antonio-streets/ar-AA2c7hdG
• https://electrek.co/2026/09/11/musk-promotes-tesla-fsd-misuse-98-year-old/
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/09/12/would-jesus-like-waymo-baptists-have-thoughts/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/nyregion/mamdani-street-safety-vision-zero-reimagined.htmlmore links at the site.