Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 / Lecture starts at 3:00 PM
On line and in person in the Building 8 Auditorium

Byron Bloch

“What Are the Biggest Auto Safety Blunders… Past, Present, and Future… and What Can Be Done So We’re All Safer?”

ABSTRACT -- Some of the biggest auto safety blunders of the PAST include vulnerably placed fuel tanks, dangerously minimal roof and side structures, and so-called “safety standards” that were too weak or delayed forever! But many safety blunders of the past still remain dangerous in the PRESENT. Many recent Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs are “fire bombs” like the notorious Pinto! And what about President Biden’s classic Corvette and Travis Kelce’s classic Chevy? There are still far too many weak roofs that crush down and cause quadriplegics in rollovers, and U.S. trucks lack safety features that have been used in Europe for years! And what about Tesla’s Autopilot that “short-changes” collision avoidance? There are mounting safety blunders of the FUTURE as well… with too many vehicles worldwide consuming too many resources and too much energy to produce and operate. Obscenely heavy and obese SUVs and pickups, self-driving big rigs without any drivers, and autonomous self-driving cars and trucks that are over-hyped but short-changed on robust multi-sensor technology.

SPEAKER -- Byron has crisscrossed the nation for 50 years analyzing how and why accidents and injuries occur, and how they could be prevented. Testifying in car crash court cases, and to NHTSA and Congress, and on TV, he fights for safer vehicles for us all. As a teenager, he built and launched rockets, and wanted to be an astronaut. For more info, please see: http://autosafetyexpert.com

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov