# NHTSA personel changes



## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

Hi,

Based on the theory that even paranoids have enemies, Rob Maurer reports he has been blocked from doing a twitter search of a new NHTSA 'advisor':





He reports it is a 'TeslaQ' block associated with a new safety advisor Missy Cummings.

Far from a Twitter expert, I did a quick Twitter search only to find some curious tweets including a recent Webinar on ADAS that happened on Monday. Regardless, I may be paranoid but Rob is Twitter blinded. Perhaps some of you can survey Missy's history and share with Rob?

Thanks,
Bob Wilson


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

bwilson4web said:


> I may be paranoid but Rob is Twitter blinded. Perhaps some of you can survey Missy's history and share with Rob?


Not necessary. All Rob needs to do is create a second twitter account that he only uses for reading & searching - no posting or following people that may cause you to get blocked again.


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## Major Victory (Oct 25, 2018)

I suspect Rob knows this but wants to make a point that as a Tesla reporter/analyst he is blocked for no good reason.


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

Perhaps Rob is using a clever technique to get us (i.e., the mob) aroused:








<GRINS>

On a serious note, AutoPilot has no 'friends' outside of those who bought and use it. So it makes sense to be aware of the honorable competition and make sure our criticisms are both timely and accurate. I hate this still having bad memories from the "Bell the Hybrid" act, best to be prepared and try to do the right thing. A distraction from our technical interests, yes, but sad to say, something I will waste some of my time.

Bob Wilson

ps. If this belongs in a different subform, no problem and my apologies.


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## TrevP (Oct 20, 2015)

Twitter Tesla is all agog over this Missy Cummings a TSLAQ supporter who’s been appointed as an advisor to NHTSA. He openly hates Elon and is against FSD. She also has ties to LiDAR manufacturers and has received $400,000 from one of them. Can anyone say huge conflict of interest?


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## Tombolian (Sep 27, 2018)

Dropping this here.


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Sandy has a thought or two about this.


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

My understanding is Missy has gone out of her way to eliminate her Twitter postings showing her poor judgement. This includes deleting her Twitter account. But the Internet never forgets.

Bob Wilson


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

Somehow I thought Tesla *was/is* an American OEM.

If we look over the past thirty or so years, GM (with all the government support) still went bankrupt a couple times. So GM (Guaranteed Misery?) certainly needs all the help they can get. Not even gonna comment on the failure knopwn Chrysler / Dodge / Fiat. Ford is just holding on while Toyota (American made) is doing very well (without any EVs to speak of)


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

Klaus-rf said:


> GM (with all the government support) still went bankrupt a couple times. So GM (Guaranteed Misery?)


I thought it was Government Motors.


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

iChris93 said:


> I thought it was Government Motors.


Only 2007+ Before that it was Guaranteed Misery.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

Let's be honest here, it's only recently that Tesla was profitable without emission credits. At the end of the day, when it comes to billion dollar corporations, things aren't just black and white no matter the side you're on.


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

shareef777 said:


> … it's only recently that Tesla was profitable without emission credits …


Not sure how this relates. After all, any 100% EV company will have excess emission credits. To throw them away would be management malfeasance and shorten their career.

Bob Wilson


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## slacker775 (May 30, 2018)

Way to much has been made about the emissions credits. Sure it has been relevant to note their impact on profitability but how everyone seems to imply that without them, Tesla is some kind of sham company. Based no that logic, local tax abatements that any of the other major manufacturers have certainly had should have been counted against any profitable years.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

bwilson4web said:


> Not sure how this relates. After all, any 100% EV company will have excess emission credits. To throw them away would be management malfeasance and shorten their career.
> 
> Bob Wilson


This was in reference to the recent posts about the financial failures of the big 3 and their government bailouts. Government welfare seems to be a staple of any large corporation's success. The free market ain't so free.


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## JeffC (Jul 4, 2018)

It's already been mentioned, somewhat cryptically above, but there is a change.org petition opposing the appointment of Missy Cummings as a safety advisor at NHTSA:

https://www.change.org/p/president-...mmings-to-nhtsa-for-conflict-of-interest-bias
Please sign the petition. Cummings is very public in her VERY anti-Tesla and anti-Autopilot views, and as an advisor at NHTSA, she would have influence to ban Tesla Autopilot and FSD. Don't let her do that.

Currently there are about 23k signers of the petition. If we reach 25k it goes to the front page of change.org, where it can get even more attention.

All that's needed to sign a change.org petition is a name and a confirmed email address. Be sure to click the confirmation email link for your signature to be counted.


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

Curious, I used Google Scholar to look for papers showing Missy Cummings as an author. So far, I've found:

"Advancing accelerated testing protocols for safe and reliable deployment of connected and automated vehicles through iterative deployment in physical and digital worlds" - this reads like a proposal to make a synthetic testing lab for ADAS systems. Color me interested but sheptical
"Safety Implications of Variability in Autonomous Driving Assist Alerting" - a more useful report using three AutoPilot Teslas with four cameras to observe vehicle operation. There is variability that we have discussed with each release. It is the first step towards understanding.
Regardless of her 'shoot from the hip' Twitter postings, it appears she can do credible documented research. Just it needs peer review that is lacking ... compared to us owners who are daily the peers reviewing AutoPilot. One caution, peer reviewed work can be wrong!

Personally, I think she needs to remain in the lab working on these schemes. It isn't clear that she should be making ADAS policy any more than any of us. Actually, we have 'hands on' daily which she and her team seem to lack. Worse, no evidence of testing anything other than Tesla Autopilot as the other 'announced' systems are yet to be deployed in any numbers.

I would feel more confident if she used actual accident metrics collected by the NHTSA to confirm or challenge:
https://www.tesla.com/VehicleSafetyReport
Instead, she searches for AutoPilot accidents and tries to draw conclusion of what are often 'one-of' events.

Bob Wilson


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

bwilson4web said:


> Regardless of her 'shoot from the hip' Twitter postings, it appears she can do credible documented research.


Just like another famous Twitter poster we all follow very closely 😉


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## JeffC (Jul 4, 2018)

bwilson4web said:


> Curious, I used Google Scholar to look for papers showing Missy Cummings as an author. So far, I've found:
> 
> "Advancing accelerated testing protocols for safe and reliable deployment of connected and automated vehicles through iterative deployment in physical and digital worlds" - this reads like a proposal to make a synthetic testing lab for ADAS systems. Color me interested but sheptical
> "Safety Implications of Variability in Autonomous Driving Assist Alerting" - a more useful report using three AutoPilot Teslas with four cameras to observe vehicle operation. There is variability that we have discussed with each release. It is the first step towards understanding.
> ...


Tesla likely does far more (internal) research on ADAS than Cummings or her organization does.


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

Certainly more because Tesla is doing goal oriented research. She reminds me of the old joke about the chicken and pig eating ham and eggs to discuss farmer Brown. The chicken (Missy) was interested but the pig (Elon) was committed.

Bob Wilson


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

I filed a NHTSA safety report:










I wonder how long it will take for them to realize a safety incident should include "saves."

Bob Wilson


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## bwilson4web (Mar 4, 2019)

Perhaps the “Wham Bam Teslacam” editor might assemble a ‘Best Autopilot Saves’ video. Then we can clue local and national news sources for an easy, pro-AutoPilot source.

Bob Wilson


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