Tag: safety

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Politics

Senate Passes $3.5 Trillion Price range Plan, Advancing Sweeping Security Internet Growth

Senate Passes $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan, Advancing Sweeping Safety Net Expansion

“You’re spending money like drunken sailors,” declared Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the top Republican on the Budget Committee. “You’re putting in motion, I think, the demise of America as we know it. You’re putting in motion a government that nobody’s grandchild can ever afford to pay.”

The proposed changes, many of which were shot down along party lines, were nonbinding and intended more to burnish a political case against the most vulnerable Democratic senators facing re-election in 2022 than to become law. Some Republicans said the brunt of their proposals would wait until the subsequent legislation was finished, when changes could actually be adopted.

“The next vote-a-rama is the one that really matters, because then you’re firing with live ammo,” said Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania. “So I’m much more interested in that one than this one.”

The hourslong stretch began with a vote that would prohibit funding or regulations to establish the Green New Deal, with Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, declaring that any such provision “will reduce the quality of life for American people — millions and millions of Americans will suffer.”

“I have no problem voting for this amendment, because it has nothing to do with the Green New Deal,” Mr. Sanders shot back. The amendment passed unanimously, with the legislation’s Democratic sponsors dismissing it as “a tired and failed Republican attempt to throw speed bumps on the road to climate action.”

Democrats worked to remain in lock step to ward off many of the Republican proposals, including a provision from Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, that would prevent changes to the cap on how much taxpayers can deduct in state and local taxes. Democrats from high-tax states, particularly New York, New Jersey and California, have made raising or repealing the cap a priority, and a partial repeal is under discussion to be included in the final legislation.

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Politics

Everytown for Gun Security to Prepare Volunteers to Run for Workplace

Everytown for Gun Safety to Train Volunteers to Run for Office

Gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety plans to spend $ 3 million to recruit and train its volunteers for the candidacy, with the goal of getting 200 races in the next election cycle.

The program is the latest step in a year-long effort by groups supporting stricter gun laws to become politically competitive with the National Rifle Association, which has a strong grip on American politics amid the rise in mass shootings.

That dynamic has started to shift as the NRA loses its hold on moderate Democrats and more gun restrictions are passed by state lawmakers. But even proposals with broad bipartisan support among voters, such as universal background checks and red flag laws, have failed in Congress.

Everytown’s new program, called Demand a Seat, will begin this fall and will include training on the fundamentals of running a campaign, as well as instruction from lawyers who have become legislators, such as Rep. Lucy McBath, Democrat of Georgia. It is aimed at members of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, two branches of Everytown supported by Michael R. Bloomberg.

“Our volunteers have fought to have the people at the table listen to them, and some wouldn’t, so now our volunteers and gun violence survivors will be fighting to occupy those seats,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand action.

Everytown said more than 100 of its volunteers ran for office last year and 43 won.

The group said more than 50 former volunteers were elected to state parliaments, 18 to city or district councils, eight to school boards, and two to Congress: Ms. McBath and Marie Newman, Democrats of Illinois.

Ms McBath, who was first elected in 2018, said in an interview on Monday that as a lawyer for Moms Demand Action, she learned how to organize people, give speeches and talk about politics with different audiences. But she said, “I had no idea how to campaign.”

“I’ve never run for office,” said Ms. McBath, who joined Moms Demand Action after her son Jordan Davis was fatally shot. “I got a bit of help from people around me and went to bootcamp training over a weekend, but I wish I had this kind of structure, an ongoing structure that I could relate to all the time.”

State Representative Jo Ella Hoye, a Democrat, was elected to the Kansas Legislature in November after leading the chapter of Moms Demand Action in Kansas for about three years. She said she mostly staffed her campaign with other volunteers making more than 10,000 calls for her.

“You have this lightbulb moment: I used this database for our organization and I will use it for our campaign. We attend training on messaging and social media, ”said Ms. Hoye. “If you formalize it, the lightbulb will click just a little earlier.”

You and Ms. McBath will advise the participants in the program, as will, among others, the Mayoress Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, a Democrat; former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a Democrat; and former Florida MP David Jolly, who was Republican during his tenure but has since left the party.

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Health

Covid Delta Variant Security: Your Questions Answered

Covid Delta Variant Safety: Your Questions Answered

Most experts say they use a good quality medical mask such as an N95 or KF94 when flying. If you don’t have one, double masking is recommended. For a vaccinated person, the risk of briefly removing a mask to eat or drink during a flight is small, but it is better to keep it on for as long as possible. The CDC says that for anyone who has not been vaccinated, including children, it is best to avoid flying.

Dr. Bromage said he had recently traveled by plane and briefly removed his mask to have a drink, but left it for most of the flight. He said he’d rather take off his mask to eat if he knew the people next to him had been vaccinated. He said he would be more concerned if the person next to him didn’t seem to be caring about Covid precautions or was wearing the mask under their nose. “If there is a random person next to you, especially a talkative person, I would keep the mask on,” he said.

Most buses, trains, and subways all still have to wear a mask, which lowers the risk. While vaccinated people are well protected, the risk of virus exposure increases the longer the journey takes and the more crowded the train or bus is. For many people, using public transport is essential to get to work or school, and wearing a well-fitting medical mask or double mask is recommended. If public transport is optional, deciding whether to ride should take into account local vaccination rates and whether the numbers of cases are increasing.

While it is generally considered safe for vaccinated people to hug each other and hang out unmasked, parents of unvaccinated children need to consider more risks, especially when visiting older relatives. In communities with low case numbers and high vaccination rates, unvaccinated children from a single household are generally considered safe to spend time with vaccinated grandparents. But with the spread of the Delta variant and the return of children to school, the risk of close contact also increases for elderly or immunocompromised people, who are more prone to complications from Covid-19, even if they are vaccinated.

If families are planning to visit a high-risk relative, it is a good idea to minimize other exposures, avoid restaurants, or work out at the gym the week before the visit. While the risk of Covid-19 spreading from a vaccinated person is small, vaccinated grandparents should also reduce their personal exposure when spending time with unvaccinated children.

“At the time, I did not mask myself indoors with my eighty-year-old parents because I am still very careful about wearing masks in public places,” said Dr. Huffman, the aerosol scientist. “But if I had more interactions that would increase my overall risk of exposure, I would strongly consider masking myself indoors with people at risk.”

Rapid home tests are an extra precaution when visiting grandparents or an immunocompromised family member. Take a test a few days before the visit, as well as on the day of the visit. Find out more about the home test here.

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Politics

Biden requiring federal staff to show Covid vaccine standing or undergo strict security guidelines

Biden requiring federal workers to prove Covid vaccine status or submit to strict safety rules

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the pace of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations in the United States during remarks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2021.

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

“This is not about red states and blue states. It’s literally about life and death,” he said. “With freedom comes responsibility. Your decision to be unvaccinated impacts someone else.”

The new rules and perks come as officials at all levels of government struggle to bolster Covid vaccination rates that have flattened out in recent weeks, even as the highly transmissible delta variant spreads nationwide.

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Some state and regional leaders have already put new vaccine protocols in place. California and New York announced earlier this week that they will require most state employees to either get vaccinated or face mandatory weekly Covid testing.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier Thursday reimposed a requirement that masks be worn indoors, a measure that had been lifted months earlier, when new cases and deaths from Covid were on the decline.

Some major private corporations, such as Facebook and Google, are also making vaccination mandatory in order for employees in the U.S. to return to work.

In its own buildings, the federal government is requiring that every employee and on-site contractor “attest,” or confirm, their vaccination status, according to a White House fact sheet.

Those who do not will be required to wear a mask on the job, regardless of their location, and must comply with Covid testing once or twice per week, the White House said.

They will also have to be physically distanced from all other employees and visitors, and they may face restrictions on official travel, according to the fact sheet.

“It’s an American blessing that we have vaccines for each and every American,” Biden said Thursday afternoon. “It’s such a shame to squander that blessing.”

Biden also announced that a Covid reimbursement program, which paid back small- and medium-sized businesses that offered paid leave for their employees to get vaccinated, would be expanded to include workers’ family members and kids, as well.

And Biden called on school districts across the country to host pop-up vaccination clinics in the coming weeks, while directing federal pharmacy program partners to work with schools.

In his speech, Biden repeatedly stressed that despite the rise in cases, the vaccines remain highly effective at saving lives and preventing severe illness from Covid, including the delta variant. He noted that the overwhelming majority of people hospitalized and killed from the virus have not been inoculated, describing the current crisis as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Biden also attempted to assuage fears about so-called breakthrough infections among vaccinated people, saying that such cases are rare. He added that as of now, medical officials say there is no need for fully vaccinated people to seek out a booster shot — though he suggested that could change in the future.

“The vaccines are safe, highly effective. There’s nothing political about them,” Biden said, underscoring the point by praising Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for consistently supporting vaccinations.

“And his state’s in pretty good shape,” Biden added.

The Biden administration had previously discouraged federal agencies from requiring vaccination for on-site work.

The president in May had also proclaimed that, “If you’ve been vaccinated, you don’t have to wear your mask.”

But after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its guidance on wearing masks indoors, Biden, who is fully vaccinated, said he would follow the agency’s recommendations.

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Health

OSHA Points Covid Office Security Rule, However Just for Well being Care

OSHA Issues Covid Workplace Safety Rule, But Only for Health Care

During the Trump administration, OSHA passed a policy to largely limit Covid-related inspections to a small number of high-risk industries such as healthcare and emergency aid. Meat wrap was not included in this high-risk group – studies showed it was a major source of virus transmission.

Some labor groups praised OSHA under President Donald J. Trump for enforcing health care safety regulations, including proposed fines of over $ 1 million for violations in dozens of health and nursing homes. However, critics accused the agency of largely failing to punish meat processors for lax safety standards, such as a lack of adequate distancing from workers.

Mr Walsh said the risks for most non-healthcare workers had decreased as cases decreased and vaccination rates increased. He also noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines last month, telling vaccinated individuals that they generally do not need to wear a mask indoors, played a role in OSHA’s decision on one dispense with the broader Covid-19 standard.

“OSHA has adjusted the rule to reflect the reality on the ground, the success of the vaccine effort, as well as the latest guidance from the CDC and the changing nature of the pandemic,” Walsh said on the call.

David Michaels, an OSHA chief during the Obama administration, said the CDC guidelines made it difficult to implement a broader OSHA rule. “In order to justify an emergency standard, OSHA needs to demonstrate that there is great danger,” said Dr. Michaels. “To do this, the CDC should have clarified its recommendation and said that there is a great danger for many workers.”

Without such clarification, said Dr. Michaels, now a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health, would have employer groups likely challenged any new OSHA rule in court, arguing that the CDC guidelines indicated that a rule was unnecessary.

Dr. Michaels said the new standard was an overdue move, but it was disappointing that no Covid-specific standard had been issued for industries such as meat packaging, corrections and retail. “If exposure is not controlled in these workplaces, they will continue to be major drivers of infection,” he said.

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World News

As electrical automobile gross sales surge, discussions flip to noise and security

As electric vehicle sales surge, discussions turn to noise and safety

Martin Pickard | Moment | Getty Images

Hyperloop, hydrogen-powered trains and air taxis. As the 21st century progresses, the way people get from A to B is on the cusp of a major change driven by design and innovation.

While the above technologies may still be a few years away from widespread adoption, that doesn’t mean the change isn’t already underway.

Around the world, national and local governments are trying to reduce emissions and improve air quality in cities, with many betting on a growing sector: battery electric vehicles.

There is undoubtedly a dynamic behind the industry. According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency, around 3 million new electric cars were registered last year, a record and an increase of 41% compared to 2019.

Looking ahead, the IEA says the number of electric cars, buses, vans and heavy trucks on the roads – its forecast doesn’t include two- and three-wheel electric vehicles – is projected to reach 145 million by 2030.

If governments step up efforts to meet international energy and climate goals, the global fleet could grow even further, reaching 230 million by the end of the decade.

A changing world

As the number of electric vehicles on the world’s roads increases, society must adapt.

Extensive charging networks, for example, need to be rolled out to meet increased demand and to dispel persistent concerns about “range anxiety” – the idea that electric vehicles cannot make long journeys without losing power and getting stranded.

Another area in which we will notice changes concerns noise: electric vehicles are not only emission-free, but also significantly quieter than their diesel and gasoline cousins.

Read more about electric vehicles from CNBC Pro

This means less noise pollution in urban areas – a clear thing – but it also poses a potential challenge for other road users, especially those with vision problems.

“It can be very difficult for blind or visually impaired people to judge traffic,” Zoe Courtney-Bodgener, Policy and Campaigner for the UK’s Royal National Institute of Blind People, told CNBC in a telephone interview.

Courtney-Bodgener explained that more and more “quiet” modes of transport are being used, using the example of bicycles and larger electric and hybrid vehicles.

“If you can’t always see these vehicles reliably or with your eyesight, the sound is even more important,” she said.

“And if the noise is not there or is not loud enough to reliably detect these vehicles, there is of course a risk, because … you cannot reliably know when a vehicle is approaching you.”

The law of the land

It should be noted that laws and technology have been put in place around the world to address this problem.

For example, in the European Union and the United Kingdom, all new electric and hybrid vehicles must use an audible vehicle warning system, or AVAS for short, from July 1st. This will build on and expand on the previous regulations that came into force in 2019.

According to the rules, the AVAS should step in and make noises when the speed of a vehicle is less than 20 kilometers per hour (about 12 miles per hour) and when it is reversing.

According to a 2019 UK government statement, the sound can “be temporarily turned off by the driver if necessary”.

According to the EU regulation, the noise generated by the AVAS should “be a continuous tone that informs pedestrians and other road users of a vehicle that is in operation”.

“The noise should easily reflect vehicle behavior,” it adds, “and should sound similar to a vehicle of the same category equipped with an internal combustion engine.”

RNIB’s Courtney-Bodgener told CNBC that while her organization was “happy” that the AVAS policy had been translated into UK law, it had not “done everything we asked of it”.

She went on to explain how the speed at which the AVAS turns on might need to be increased to 20 or 30 miles per hour.

“We are not convinced that if … a vehicle is traveling at a speed of 21 miles per hour, for example, it would generate enough noise on its own to be reliably recognized by noise.”

Another area of ​​concern concerns older vehicles. “There are already many, many electric and hybrid vehicles that were produced before this legislation came into effect that did not have the sound technology,” she said.

There are currently no plans to retrofit these, she added. “This is worrying because there are already thousands of vehicles on the UK’s roads that do not have AVAS technology.”

From the industry’s point of view, it appears to be satisfied with the existing regulations. In a statement emailed to CNBC, AVERE, The European Association for Electromobility, told CNBC that it supported the “current legislative status quo”.

“The limit of 20 km / h is sufficient, as other noises – especially rolling resistance – take over at this level and are sufficient for pedestrians and cyclists to hear approaching electric and hybrid vehicles,” added the Brussels organization.

“In fact, the requirement of additional noise above 20 km / h would deprive European citizens of one of the main advantages of electrification: lower noise levels at city speeds.”

Noise pollution can indeed be a serious problem. According to the European Environment Agency, over 100 million people in Europe are “exposed to harmful environmental noise”. The agency classifies road traffic noise as “a particular public health problem in many urban areas”.

Regarding the need for modernization of older cars, AVERE said: “Only a very small proportion of the electric vehicles on European roads would be subject to retrofitting obligations, as many existing vehicles were already equipped with AVAS in anticipation of the new ones and that the rules were introduced in good time to meet the expected mass consumption of To support electric vehicles in the years to come. “

Should it emerge that “additional requirements” are needed, AVERE is ready to work with policy makers.

The future

The discussions and debates on this topic are likely to go on for a long time and it is clear that a balance will have to be found in the future.

Whether you think current legislation goes far enough or not, the fact is that these types of systems will become an increasingly important feature of urban travel in the years to come.

Robert Fisher is Head of EV Technologies at the research and consulting company SBD Automotive.

He emailed CNBC that tests the company carried out had “shown AVAS to be quite effective,” but added that if a pedestrian is unfamiliar with the noise, “may not automatically do so with presence of an approaching “Connect Vehicle.”

“Currently, AVAS is mainly hampered by inconsistent legislation and a lack of innovation,” he said, and dared to look positively into the future.

“With the move away from the internal combustion engine, this technology has the potential to become an integral part of a car’s character, a point of brand differentiation and the ability to save lives.”

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Business

Fears for Bangladesh Garment Employees as Security Settlement Nears an Finish

Fears for Bangladesh Garment Workers as Safety Agreement Nears an End

“The Europeans are trying to entice the North American retailers toward contributing more to collective safety monitoring by watering down accountability,” Ms. Hajagos-Clausen said. “At one level, of course we want more brands to sign up — after all, the same factories produce for both American and European and other international brands. But all that’s happening here is a reduction in the credibility of the overall program, making it impossible to use the agreement as a possible blueprint for global coverage at a dangerous time for garment workers everywhere.”

Faruque Hassan, the president of the garment manufacturers association, did not respond to requests for comment. And while some Western brands like Asos have said publicly that they would support a legally binding agreement, most were not willing to comment while negotiations were going on. H&M, the Swedish retailer that was instrumental in the creation of the original accord, is also a leader of the current talks and remains “committed” according to Payal Jain, H&M’s head of sustainability global production.

Ms. Jain said H&M “strongly supported” a structure involving trade unions, employer organizations and the government, as well as clear accountability for brands, and increased fire and building safety capacity within the country.

“We are confident we can come to good solutions,” she added.

Bangladeshi factory workers, already dealing with pay cuts and late wages, will be counting on it. Garment exports, which account for 80 percent of Bangladesh’s annual export revenue, fell 17 percent in 2020. The country’s apparel sector was devastated as brands closed shops during the pandemic and canceled orders worth as much as $3.5 billion, leaving many factory owners facing ruin. The industry has seen a recovery, but the future remains uncertain — particularly with continuing lockdowns and virus outbreaks.

Owners of small and medium-size factories have long said they have been squeezed by the investments needed to meet safety standards. Now, their finances are suffering further as many global brands continue to drive order prices down in a tough trading environment. Brands have also asked the factories to undertake costly new Covid 19-related safety measures.

According to Mr. Posner, while improvements have unequivocally been made for worker safety in Bangladesh, the work is far from over. While the accord and alliance reached roughly 2,500 factories, it is well known by the industry that there are more than double that number of facilities, including subcontractors. A significant proportion of factories in Bangladesh remain unsafe.

“As the world starts to open up again and demand picks up further, no one in this equation can afford to take their eye off the ball,” Mr. Posner said. “The legacy of the accord is at stake.”

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Business

Confidence within the security of the J&J vaccine is low following U.S. pause, Kaiser survey reveals

Confidence in the safety of the J&J vaccine is low following U.S. pause, Kaiser survey shows

An Army nurse holds a vial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the FEMA-sponsored COVID-19 vaccination site at Valencia State College on the first day the site provided the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the FDA repealed The CDC has offered a break again due to blood clot concerns.

Paul Hennessy | LightRocket | Getty Images

According to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, less than half of Americans believe the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is safe after it was temporarily suspended in the US after reports of rare blood clotting problems in some recipients.

While most people believe in Covid vaccines, in general, only 46% of respondents said they were at least somewhat confident about the J&J inclusion, compared to 69% who were for both Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines said. Kaiser surveyed 2,097 randomly selected adults aged 18 and over from April 15 to 29 for the study published on Wednesday.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged states on April 13 to temporarily stop using J & J’s vaccine “out of caution” after six women reported rare blood clots. A CDC panel recommended the US resume the vaccine ten days later, saying the benefits outweigh the risks.

The J&J news seems to have changed some opinions about a shot.

One in five non-vaccinated respondents said the news changed their minds about receiving the vaccine, even though the specific responses were different. 7% said they were less likely to want any of the three Covid vaccines, Kaiser noted. Another 9% said they were less likely to want the J&J vaccine, but that it didn’t change their mind about the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

Nevertheless, the proportion of respondents who said they had received a shot rose significantly from 32% to 56% in the survey last month. That number reflects data from the CDC, which reports that roughly the same proportion of adults in the United States have received one or more doses.

“The news was widespread and it certainly hurt confidence in J&J, but it’s not clear that it had much of an impact on whether or not people were actually vaccinated,” said Dr. Mollyann Brodie, General Manager of Public Opinion and Survey Research at the Foundation Program. “It confirmed for people who were concerned about side effects that there were side effects, but we know that the immediate effect – at least in terms of what people told us – is very small in terms of demand.”

Women were more likely than men to say the J&J news had changed their minds about vaccination. The Kaiser survey found that Hispanic women in particular, 18% of whom said they were less likely to want a vaccine at all.

The timing of the Johnson & Johnson hiatus coincides with a general slowdown in US vaccinations. The country reported an average of 2.1 million vaccinations per day for the past week, CDC data shows, up from a high of 3.4 million on April 13.

The fact that the nationwide drop in daily shots occurred during the stop is more a coincidence than a direct effect, said Dr. Rupali Limaye, faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Limaye is researching vaccine decision-making and has worked with state health departments during the vaccine launch.

While the hiatus at J&J, and the reluctance it caused, contributed somewhat to the decline, the bigger factor, according to Limaye, is that the country has reached the point where most Americans who want a vaccine have got one.

“I hear from states that not only are things slowing down generally because of J&J, but also slowing down because we have essentially been able to meet the demand,” she said.

The survey data from the Kaiser Foundation confirm this. Respondents who said they were most anxious to get a shot – those who have already been vaccinated or want it as soon as possible – rose only marginally from 61% to 64% in the previous survey in March. The proportion who wanted to “wait and see” before vaccination, who had lost in size, remained roughly the same.

“We are at a stage in the vaccination effort where all the eager people are vaccinated or are about to be vaccinated,” said Brodie. “We are now turning to the reluctant people, with strategies that are required to reach many different people.”

This equates to an 87% decline, which is steeper than the declines Pfizer and Moderna saw from their respective peaks.

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Business

Lobbyists urge updates to federal automobile security guidelines after Tesla crashes

Lobbyists urge updates to federal car safety rules after Tesla crashes

Two major US auto industry lobby groups are pushing for updates to federal vehicle safety regulations following major accidents involving Tesla vehicles.

During a Senate subcommittee hearing Tuesday, executives from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association said the U.S. needed better standards and protocols to sell automated driving systems like Tesla’s under the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving brand names to address.

Tesla has been critical of the development, testing, and marketing of these systems, including the failure to prevent drivers from misusing or overestimating the capabilities of the autopilot and FSD.

There are questions about whether autopilot or FSD were in any way to blame for the recent Tesla accidents that the National Transportation Safety Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating. To date, the NHTSA has initiated around 28 investigations into Tesla vehicle accidents, of which around 24 are active. NTSB has launched 8 such investigations.

Automated driving systems, also known as driver assistance systems, can control some functions of a vehicle. However, automakers continue to require drivers to remain alert and drive even when the systems are in use.

In general, driver assistance is based on a mixture of cameras and sensors. Some automakers use advanced maps along with sensors to restrict the use of their systems to specific streets.

Despite their commercial availability, the United States does not regulate precise federal regulations or performance standards for automated driving systems.

“The US is at risk of losing our competitive advantage because of a lack of clear national guidelines,” said Ann Wilson, senior vice president of government affairs for the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, during the hearing on Tuesday. She later added, “NHTSA can and should do more.”

John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said a “more strategic and robust approach” is needed for the government’s New Car Assessment program. He also said any modernization of the government’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which set requirements for the design, construction, performance and durability of vehicles, should also be analyzed in relation to highly automated and autonomous vehicles.

“We need a national strategy, a framework that accommodates a new kind of regulation,” he said.

The comments came Tuesday afternoon during a Senate Land Transport, Shipping, Freight and Ports subcommittee on how automotive innovations will affect the future of vehicle safety, mobility and technology in a global economy.

It came a day after three Democratic U.S. Senators on Monday introduced laws mandating performance standards for driver monitoring systems and requiring those systems to be installed in new vehicles.

Tesla is not a member of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation or the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association. The company did not respond to a comment.

A steering wheel light bar and cluster icons indicate the status of Super Cruise ™ and prompt the driver to return their attention to the road if the system detects that the driver’s attention has been turned away from the road for too long.

Source: General Motors

Driver monitoring

Prior to the hearing, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents automotive suppliers and manufacturers who produce nearly 99% of new cars and light trucks sold in the US, published several safety principles related to driver monitoring in vehicles with driver assistance systems such as Tesla Autopilot.

Among other things, the guidelines call on car manufacturers to introduce camera-based driver monitoring systems for vehicles with automated driving or driver assistance systems. These are intended to recognize whether the drivers are attentive and ready to drive manually in situations in which the automated program is insufficient.

General Motors, Subaru, and BMW already have camera-based driver monitoring systems, and others like Ford Motor have announced similar plans. Tesla vehicles have cabin cameras, but according to the company’s operating instructions, they are not used for driver monitoring. With Tesla’s systems, the driver has to “check in” by touching the steering wheel.

“This issue that we are now debating – and I agree with you – is a consumer awareness and confidence issue. That is why we have set out these driver monitoring principles today,” Bozzella said during the hearing, without any company or specific company To mention system. “Driver monitoring is an important element in this.”

Tesla research

Last week consumer reports found that a 2020 Tesla Model Y “can easily get the car to drive even if no one is in the driver’s seat.”

The test included upgrading the Tesla steering wheel to bypass the vehicle’s safety features that otherwise might have disabled the autopilot. The test followed a fatal spring 2019 Model S crash in Texas in April that sparked two federal investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

After a preliminary investigation, a Harris County police officer named Mark Herman told television that his investigators were “sure” that no one was in the driver’s seat of the Tesla at the time of the crash.

Extensive investigations have not been completed, and authorities have not disclosed whether the autopilot or Tesla’s premium automatic driving system FSD was in use before or at the time of the collision. Tesla advises in its owner’s manual that the autopilot and FSD require active monitoring.

The remains of a Tesla vehicle can be seen in this still from a video captured via social media after the crash in The Woodlands, Texas on April 17, 2021. Video recorded on April 17, 2021.

Scott J. Engle | via Reuters

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, said in a tweet earlier this month, “Data logs recovered so far show that autopilot was not activated and this car did not purchase an FSD. Also, the standard autopilot would require turning on lane lines that this road does not would have. “”

In a first quarter earnings call on Monday, Musk said journalists should be “ashamed” of their coverage of the crash. Tesla’s vice president of automotive technology, Lars Moravy, also shared additional details Tesla learned from helping with the local and state investigation to date.

Among other things, Moravy said that in the spring incident in Texas, “Autosteer couldn’t and couldn’t get into the road condition as it was designed.” He added that the car “only accelerated to 30 mph” before hitting a tree, and that a steering wheel deformity indicated to Tesla a “likelihood that someone was in the driver’s seat at the time of the accident”.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, unveils a new all-wheel drive version of the Model S on October 9, 2014 in Hawthorne, California.

Lucy Nicholson | Reuters

During Tuesday’s government hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Criticized Tesla and Musk for speaking about the crash while the federal investigation was ongoing.

“I was very disappointed that Tesla took to Twitter through its CEO to downplay the involvement of the company’s advanced driver assistance system before both the NTSB and NTHSA completed their ongoing investigations into the fatal accident,” he said.

The NTSB emailed CNBC, “Our investigation is ongoing and we are focused on the operation of the vehicle and the post-accident fire.”

The NHTSA and Spring, Texas police were not immediately available for comment.

Blumenthal said he agrees with some auto lobbyists that federal safety standards and new regulations are required.

He said, “Tesla’s crash shows that there are many unanswered questions about the technology that is supposed to be automated. Unfortunately, there are no current regulations that give the public much convenience that more automation is the answer without much improved consumer protection.”

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Business

Peloton’s conflict with company over Tread+ security might tarnish model

Peloton's clash with agency over Tread+ safety could tarnish brand

Maggie Lu uses a peloton treadmill during CES 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 11, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ethan Miller | Getty Images

A public argument with a federal agency over safety concerns and a terrifying video of a child being pulled under a treadmill threaten the community Peloton has built.

Time-pressed parents and workout addicts who own Peloton products scratch their heads and visit social media platforms and community chat rooms to discuss the fitness equipment manufacturer’s response to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The agency is investigating the safety of Peloton’s high-end treadmill, which has now been linked to numerous injuries and the death of a child.

Peloton has said it has no intention of recalling its $ 4,300 Tread +, despite regulators and politicians calling for it.

The back-and-forth jeopardizes the launch of Peloton’s lower-priced treadmill machine in the US later this year. Branding experts and attorneys warn that the longer it drags on, the bigger the peloton is when there is a growing backlash from consumers that requires stronger damage control and costs more money.

“There’s a rule of thumb that goes back to the Tylenol case, where people were poisoned,” said Luc Wathieu, professor of marketing at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

Tylenol became a textbook crisis management case in the 1980s when someone tampered with extra-strong Tylenol capsules by adding deadly potassium cyanide and killing several people. Johnson & Johnson acted quickly to devise a strategy to regain American confidence.

“If there is a threat to the customer – one that is so public – you have to overcompensate,” said Wathieu in a telephone interview. “But for some reason, companies tend not to do this, even though it has been shown time and time again that you need to act quickly.”

Over the weekend, the CPSC issued a statement asking consumers to stop using the Pelread Tread + machine when small children or pets are around. The move came after the organization’s investigation into the death of a child with one of the Tread + machines, as well as dozens of other reports of injuries.

At the same time, the commission released a surveillance camera video of a boy who was pulled under one of the Tread + machines and found it difficult to break free.

The CPSC went on to say that Peloton’s treadmills are designed differently than their counterparts. “An unusual belt design that uses individual rigid rubberized slats or treads that are connected to each other and run on a rail.” That’s instead of a thinner, continuous strap. There is also a large gap between the bottom and the belt of the Tread +, leaving room for things to move underneath.

According to Peloton, the design is supposed to make walking on knees and legs easier.

Currently, the company is refusing to withdraw the product or make design changes. Peloton said it was “shocked and devastated” to learn of the death last month. However, last weekend it also issued a statement calling the CPSC press release “inaccurate and misleading”.

The CEO and co-founder of Peloton, John Foley, wrote in a separate letter to the treadmill owners that the company is working on a new software-enabled security code “that will provide additional protection against unwanted use of the Tread +”.

“The Tread + is safe if our warnings and precautions are followed,” Foley said in the letter.

A peloton spokesman declined to comment.

“I haven’t seen a fight like this before.”

The company is better known for its stationary bikes and didn’t launch a treadmill until 2018. Initially referred to as Tread, it is now called Tread + as the company prepares to sell a cheaper version in the US later this year. The smaller, cheaper model is already available in the UK and doesn’t include the same rigid slats as the Tread +.

The clash with the CPSC was not good for Peloton’s stock. Shares fell 7% on Monday. The stock closed at $ 106.50 on Tuesday afternoon, down another 1.2%. In the past three months, Peloton stocks are down more than 32% after hitting an all-time high of $ 171.09 on Jan. 14. This follows a huge spike in 2020 when investors viewed Peloton as a stay-at-at. Home game and pandemic beneficiary, which made the stock up more than 400%. But when the fitness centers reopen, some of those gains have been given up.

BMO analyst Simeon Siegel said Peloton’s stock price was recently “detached” from underlying fundamentals and results were reported.

The stock appears “ruled by perception and hope,” he said. Siegel has an underperform rating on Peloton stock with a price target of $ 45.

“Most of Peloton’s market cap was created by the marketing department, not the equipment, engineers, or instructors,” Siegel said. “They told a story … and this peloton story is so much bigger than the peloton-paying membership base.”

For the past six months, according to Siegel, Peloton’s news has stalled as business grew exponentially during the pandemic.

“Whether it is Tread + or customers who deal with the supply chain, … ultimately, companies face obstacles to growth and cannot all face violence,” said Siegel.

While Peloton doesn’t split sales of its treadmills versus bikes, Cowen & Co. has estimated that the Tread + will account for about 2.2% of sales in 2021. This equates to about 1.633 million stationary bikes and treadmills combined.

In 2020, Peloton had sales of $ 1.8 billion, up from $ 915 million in the previous year.

John Blackledge, an analyst at Cowen, said he believes the majority of Peloton’s treadmill opportunity in the longer term will come from its upcoming Tread model, which is priced below the $ 4,300 T300 +. Hopefully, he said, the newer model will avoid similar problems with the CPSC because the belt doesn’t wrap under the machine.

Peloton has stated it is open to working with the CPSC to further ensure the safety of its customers. Its classes are said to have safety messages from instructors to remind users to keep their children, pets, and other items off the Tread + while exercising, and to remove a safety key after exercising to prevent children from activating the machines.

However, disagreements with the federal agency responsible for protecting US consumers from dangerous products are rare. The CPSC cannot force a recall, but has sued companies in the past to get them to comply.

Peloton has stuck to the agency before. Last fall, there was a recall for a version of its clip-in bicycle pedals due to the risk of breaking the axle and injuring users, affecting around 27,000 bikes.

“To be honest, I haven’t seen a fight like this here,” said Anthony Gair, a partner at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman and Mackauf, who specializes in trying personal injury cases, that are tied to defective products.

“The CPSC must have reason to believe that it has not been properly designed,” he said. “Warnings are the last resort. And so the question arises: ‘Did you conduct a proper hazard analysis, either yes or no?’ And if you have carried out a proper hazard analysis: “Did this hazard analysis identify this hazard?”