Tag Archives: accidents

Autonomous vehicles and drunk driving

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Can you be arrested for driving an autonomous vehicle while drunk? Short answer is Yes. SAE International, a standards-setting association, has grouped modern vehicles into different levels of automation. Most cars on the road today are Level 0 vehicles, which … Continue reading →

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Initial NTSB report says Tesla crash driver overrode self-driving mode

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The man who crashed a Tesla into a home in Katy, killing a 76-year-old woman, overrode the vehicle’s self-driving system before the crash, according to preliminary findings released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB is … Continue reading →

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Driver in that fatal Tesla crash arrested

Posted on July 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. The driver of a Tesla Model 3 that crashed into a Katy home last month, killing an elderly woman, has been charged with manslaughter, records show. Michael Butler, 44, was booked into the Harris County Jail Wednesday and charged with … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Tesla crash

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The family of the 76-year-old Katy woman who was killed when a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a home Friday has filed a lawsuit against Tesla and the driver of the vehicle. Jennifer and Justin Barbour filed the … Continue reading →

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NHTSA investigating Tesla crash

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. In the days after a driver crashed their Tesla into a Katy home, fatally striking a 76-year-old woman, a federal agency launched an investigation into Tesla, and Elon Musk cast doubt on his company’s driver assistance technology playing a … Continue reading →

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Fatal Tesla autopilot crash

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This happened on Friday night. A 76-year-old woman was killed after a Tesla crashed through a home in the Katy area on Friday evening, authorities say. According to the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office, the Tesla crashed into a … Continue reading →

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Where are the Tesla robotaxis?

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not on the streets. Elon Musk, in trademark fashion, has made grand promises about Tesla’s Robotaxi efforts. Before he launched the service last summer, he proclaimed that over 1,000 of the self-driving cabs would be roaming the city streets “within … Continue reading →

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On autonomous vehicles and traffic

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I eagerly clicked on this analysis of the effect robotaxis will have on traffic, but I have to say I came away from it dissatisfied. If and when self-driven vehicles become widespread, research and common sense both suggest they will … Continue reading →

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So how do first responders handle autonomous vehicles?

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This story raised more questions than it answered for me. A viral image from the March 1 shooting in downtown Austin — an autonomous vehicle blocking an ambulance from reaching the scene where a gunman fatally wounded three people and … Continue reading →

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Are robotaxis actually safer than human drivers?

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It turns out this is a more complicated question than you might think. If a chorus of wide-eyed boosters and enthralled journalists are to be believed, self-driving cars from companies like Waymo, Tesla, and Zoox can bring about road safety … Continue reading →

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Waymo arrives in Houston

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As anticipated, and for a select group for now. Some riders can start boarding Waymo self-driving cars in Houston and two other Texas cities Tuesday, marking the latest launch for the nationwide fleet of robotaxis. The driverless vehicles debuted in … Continue reading →

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Tesla robotaxi crash frequency

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of note. Tesla’s 29 Austin Robotaxis have been involved in eight crashes since they launched in June, Electrek reports, citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data you can download here. Those crashes for the most part involved property damage, and only in … Continue reading →

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Waymo to come to Dallas

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Arriving next year. Why it matters: North Texas has been an early proving ground for autonomous technology. Autonomous trucking companies are testing their fleets on the region’s highways and Lyft plans to offer self-driving taxis in Dallas next year. The intrigue: Waymo said the high traffic fatality rate in … Continue reading →

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Let’s hear it for the pro-11th Street people

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Get out of your bubble, Mr. Mayor. Small business owners, community advocates and residents are rallying together to fight against Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s proposal to reverse 11th Street’s 2023 redesign. The coalition sent a letter last week—authored by Gerald Fuentes, an organizer of the … Continue reading →

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Just make up your damn mind about West 11th already

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I swear, I am so sick of this. After Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration removed cyclist protections along Heights Boulevard and Austin Street in March, advocates for a contentious safety project on 11th Street in the Heights neighborhood are worried it could be next on … Continue reading →

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Modified Montrose construction to begin on Monday

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. Workers will break ground Monday on the first phase of a hotly debated plan to revamp Montrose Boulevard from Allen Parkway to West Clay Street. The final roadmap retains the original intent to include an expansive … Continue reading →

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2024 was a bad year for traffic deaths in Houston

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise, unfortunately. Asked amid a flurry of design changes and shifts in street policy whether he was abandoning Houston’s goal of eliminating vehicle deaths by 2030, Mayor John Whitmire in February 2024 said a goal for the future … Continue reading →

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Whitmire’s Montrose Boulevard plan passes on second try

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. A controversial Montrose Boulevard redesign plan is set to move forward with key revisions introduced by the Whitmire administration after board members of the area’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone voted to accept the changes Friday morning. The Nov. 1 meeting … Continue reading →

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Not so fast on Whitmire’s Montrose Boulevard revisions

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Probably fleeting, but still nice. After months of delays, the controversial redesign of Montrose Boulevard was still in limbo Monday night when a split vote at a contentious public meeting stalled the project yet again. The Whitmire administration favors a design that would … Continue reading →

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A small followup on the West 11th Street safety study

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This doesn’t really add much to what we had before, but I figured a little low-stakes story about something good was a thing we could use. 11th Street in the Houston Heights area became safer for everyone, including drivers, after … Continue reading →

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City report calls 11th Street a success

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? A Houston Public Works draft report obtained by Axios states that measures to slow traffic along 11th Street in the Heights have achieved key safety goals. Why it matters: The project — a polarizing rebuild completed under … Continue reading →

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Montrose Blvd project officially delayed

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Permitting for an overhaul of Montrose Boulevard, a project that has drawn ire from residents pushing to protect the road’s oak trees, has been delayed at City Hall after Mayor John Whitmire’s staff asked project organizers to … Continue reading →

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So what’s Mayor Whitmire’s deal with Vision Zero?

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board thinks he won’t be some destroyer of non-automotive transit. I’ll remain politely skeptical for now. John Whitmire insists he supports Vision Zero, the city’s action plan to make Houston streets safer. The ultimate goal is zero … Continue reading →

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Too many bicyclists are dying in traffic this year

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve got to do better. A fatal crash [in late July] cemented what cycling advocates had been warning about for months – Houston is going backwards when it comes to erasing roadway deaths of bicycle riders. “With few exceptions, trying … Continue reading →

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Tesla autopilot crash mystery solved

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It wasn’t on autopilot after all. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board apparently have solved the mystery of why no one was found behind the steering wheel of a Tesla that crashed near The Woodlands two years ago, killing … Continue reading →

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Too many bicyclists die on the roads around here

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We should be more upset about this. More than 100 bicyclists have died on Harris County roads over the past five years, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation. A Chronicle analysis of TxDOT roadway crash data found … Continue reading →

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The limits of Vision Zero

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A long read about a tough problem. Los Angeles was not the first U.S. city to sign on to Vision Zero: Chicago (2012), New York City (2014) and San Francisco (2014) had already adopted the Scandinavian-born safety movement. But L.A. moved quickly, revamping 18 corridors — including the Hollywood and … Continue reading →

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Are road signs that warn about highway fatalities a danger?

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Could be. Driving along Texas highways, drivers will likely see electric signs that provide real-time traffic alerts, weather information or unique public safety announcements. While these signs are designed to increase public safety, new evidence suggests that one type does more harm than good. A recent … Continue reading →

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Our deadly roads

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It was a bad year last year. Last year was the second deadliest on record for vehicle fatalities on Texas roads, reflecting a lethal trend here and throughout the nation, especially in large urban areas. In 2021, 4,480 people died … Continue reading →

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On speed limits

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Food for thought. Speeding is a national health problem and a big reason why this country is increasingly an outlier on traffic safety in the developed world. More than 1 in 4 fatal crashes in the United States involve at … Continue reading →

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Yeah, traffic is worse than before

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not surprised, are you? By most measures, traffic is back to pre-COVID congestion levels — or even more clogged in some cases. What seems to have changed, based on a handful of studies that looked at different facets of … Continue reading →

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Traffic deaths are way up

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not good, y’all. With traffic levels returning to normal levels post-COVID, Texas is on track for more than 4,000 deaths on state roads, a total unseen since the mid-1980s when the state had millions fewer residents and far deadlier streets, … Continue reading →

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Tesla crash update

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Federal investigators on Monday released their preliminary assessment of a deadly crash in Spring involving a Tesla, though many details of the incident remain under scrutiny, including whether anyone was in the driver’s seat at the time of the … Continue reading →

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Tesla disputes official account of that autopilot crash

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. Tesla officials are disputing numerous assertions of local police related to a recent deadly crash in the Spring area, reiterating statements by founder Elon Musk that autopilot was not engaged on the vehicle. Further, company officials … Continue reading →

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