The agency is losing almost half of the team that oversees autonomous vehicle safety, among dozens of other key personnel.

According to reporting by Ian Duncan in The Washington Post, recent firings at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) include “an engineer who worked with crash test dummies, employees who work with states on safety grant funding, and a research psychologist focused on drunken driving and speeding.”
“In all, the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will lose between 70 and 80 people, split roughly evenly between firings of probationary employees and buyouts, according to three people, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution.” The NHTSA employs roughly 800 people and is crucial to road safety efforts.
The firings include three out of the seven people tasked with overseeing autonomous vehicle safety. Whether or not the cuts were targeted, one former worker said they will amount to “less scrutiny of robotic vehicles.” According to one fired engineer, “The amount of people in the federal government who are able to understand this adequately is very small. Now it’s almost nonexistent.”
The NHTSA has several open investigations into autonomous vehicle technology, including Tesla’s self-driving features, Ford’s driver assistance technology, and autonomous taxi services Waymo and Zoox.
FULL STORY: DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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