Articles by Ryan Beene

Study Questions Safety Claims About Tesla Autopilot’s Steering Feature

An analysis of government data disputes a finding by safety regulators and promoted by Tesla Inc. that crash rates of its older vehicles declined after they were equipped with an automatic steering capability. The study, released Friday by Quality Control …

Traffic Fatalities Again Top 40,000; Few Cars on Roads Have Latest Technology

Traffic fatalities on U.S. roads reached an estimated 40,000 in 2018, the third year in a row in which at least that many people died in vehicle crashes, according to new figures from the National Safety Council. The 2018 total …

Planes, Trains, Autos, Trucks: ’10 Most Wanted’ Transportation Safety Improvements

Federal safety advocates are targeting three of the worst habits by drivers that kill more than 10,000 people a year: speeding, impaired driving and distractions from electronic gadgets. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board unveiled its “Most Wanted” list of …

Federal Safety Investigators Sidelined by Shutdown Begin Heading to Crash Scenes

It’s been four weeks since a van carrying children from a Louisiana church to Disney World in Florida collided with a swerving tractor-trailer, igniting diesel fuel and killing seven people in a fiery crash. Now, federal crash investigators — sidelined …

Cuomo Proposes Banning Stretch Limos from New York Roads

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed banning stretch limousines from the state’s roads as part of a safety crackdown on large for-hire passenger vehicles following the deadliest U.S. transportation accident in nearly a decade. Twenty people were killed in October …

Ineffective Anti-Drone Systems Leave U.S. Airports Facing Risks Like London’s

U.S. airports may be just as vulnerable as London’s Gatwick airport to the kind of illegal drone incursions that shut down the U.K.’s second-busiest hub this week. Counter- drone technology performed so poorly in U.S. government tests in recent years …

Bipartisan Autonomous Vehicle Legislation Stalls on Capitol Hill

A push on Capitol Hill to speed development of self-driving vehicles may not cross the finish line in time for this Congress — casting doubt on the future of unusually bipartisan legislation in Washington. In order to get a final …

U.S. Agency Calls for Better Safety Metrics for Autonomous Cars

Autonomous vehicle manufacturers need a better yardstick to show that their products are safe, said Derek Kan, under secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The metrics that are most widely used by self-driving car developers — miles …

National Safety Board Calls for Standards for Drugged Driving Tests

U.S. transportation safety officials are sounding the alarm on drug-impaired driving, calling for state and federal regulators to do more to tackle the growing problem as states grapple with prescription drug abuse and adopt a more permissive stance on marijuana. …

Gas Blasts Near Boston Linked to NiSource Unit’s Work Orders

A series of explosions that rocked several towns north of Boston, Mass., last month has been linked to work orders given to a crew replacing aging natural gas pipes, according to federal safety investigators. Crews contracted by NiSource Inc.’s Columbia …