The agency is losing almost half of the team that oversees autonomous vehicle safety, among dozens of other key personnel.
According to reporting by Ian Duncan in The Washington Post, recent firings at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) include “an engineer who worked with crash test dummies, employees who work with states on safety grant funding, and a research psychologist focused on drunken driving and speeding.”
“In all, the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will lose between 70 and 80 people, split roughly evenly between firings of probationary employees and buyouts, according to three people, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution.” The NHTSA employs roughly 800 people and is crucial to road safety efforts.
The firings include three out of the seven people tasked with overseeing autonomous vehicle safety. Whether or not the cuts were targeted, one former worker said they will amount to “less scrutiny of robotic vehicles.” According to one fired engineer, “The amount of people in the federal government who are able to understand this adequately is very small. Now it’s almost nonexistent.”
The NHTSA has several open investigations into autonomous vehicle technology, including Tesla’s self-driving features, Ford’s driver assistance technology, and autonomous taxi services Waymo and Zoox.
FULL STORY: DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla
NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Tesla’s Autonomous System
The agency will probe the “Full Self-Driving” system in the wake of crashes that include a pedestrian death.
Tesla's 'Aggressive' Autonomous Mode Facilitates Lawbreaking
Some Tesla autonomous modes direct the vehicle to engage in dangerous and illegal behaviors, prompting calls for increased regulation of autonomous vehicle tech.
Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians
A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.
EV Chargers Now Outnumber Gas Pumps by Nearly 50% in California
Fast chargers still lag behind amidst rapid growth.
Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks
HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.
Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
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