BMW recalling 1 million vehicles in North America

BMW AG said Friday it is recalling about 1 million vehicles in North America for two separate issues involving fire risks and said it may expand the recalls to other countries. read more »

Rules for self-driving cars are stuck in park

Federal regulations for automation are voluntary

Automakers are racing to develop driverless cars, putting increasingly complex technology on the road despite concerns from safety experts and the National Transportation Safety Board about a lack of regulations.

Unlike rules for the design of a seatbelt or airbag, the federal guidelines for automated vehicle systems are voluntary. The U.S. Department of Transportation says keeping rules at a minimum will speed up the introduction of life-saving technology, a goal made all the more urgent as traffic deaths climbed again last year to 37,461, with 94 percent of those caused by human error.

That lack of mandatory rules for self-driving cars has given automakers and technology companies the green light to police themselves, said Jackie Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. The group is calling for the government to issue mandatory safety standards for driverless cars.

“Before we introduce this technology we need to have some assurance and accountability by the industry that this technology is not going to kill or injure consumers,” Gillan said. read more »