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The hefty costs of heavier cars

The trend of bigger, weightier vehicles — known as car bloat — has contributed to road fatalities and environmental contamination.
Over 80% of new vehicles these days are SUVs and pickup trucks, said David Zipper of the MIT Mobility Initiative. Bigger vehicles have bigger impacts on safety and the environment.
Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images

Progress toward a driverless future hits the brakes

Oct 27, 2023
GM's Cruise taxis were banned from California roads after the state said the driverless car company misrepresented safety data.
A recent incident involving a San Francisco pedestrian and a Cruise autonomous vehicle has officials questioning the safety of driverless technology. Above, the interior of a self-driving car owned by Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary.
AFP TV/AFP via Getty Images

Adaptive headlights will soon make night driving brighter without blinding others

Sep 14, 2022
The technology, new to the U.S., can potentially make driving at night safer, says David Aylor of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Adaptive beam headlights use a forward-looking camera to detect other vehicles and "create a shadow in the area of that car," says David Aylor of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Feng Li/Getty Images

Ralph Nader recalls life under surveillance by General Motors

Sep 28, 2018
In a web exclusive, the consumer advocate explains how a run in with GM fueled his career.
David Brancaccio/Marketplace

If cars don't need drivers, do drivers need insurance?

Mar 24, 2015
The auto-insurance industry could lose billions in the shift to automated cars.

To-do list: Replace exploding airbags

Oct 21, 2014
Federal safety officials urge drivers to heed airbag recall notices.

Thanks, but no thanks: Chrysler says it won't recall 2.7 million Jeeps

Jun 5, 2013
Government regulators asked for a Jeep recall, but Chrysler said "No." Will negative public reaction outweigh the cost of an actual recall?

For public good, not for profit.

States struggle to meet new trucker safety mandate

Jan 27, 2012
By Monday, states are supposed to start gathering proof that interstate truck drivers are healthy enough to drive and send that information to a national database. But the Monday deadline ain’t working out so well.