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Google shares more details on self-driving car accidents

Google has pledged to release monthly reports on the status of its self-driving car program, and says these updates will include information on accidents involving the vehicles. But the company won't release the actual accident reports, a sore point for activists who recently have clamored for the company to be more transparent in the way it tests this promising technology on public roads. "Google is dribbling out bits of information in the hope to silence legitimate calls for full transparency," said John Simpson, privacy director for Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit that has asked Google to release reports from the 12 accidents the company says it has been involved in over the past six years. "They are testing on public roads, and the public has a right to know exactly what happened when something goes wrong." Under California law, the accident reports are not considered public records. Google has attributed all accidents to human error, and says drivers of the other cars involved caused 11 of the 12 accidents. In eight of those, the Google cars were rear-ended, and the autonomous vehicles were sideswiped in two other crashes. One of the accidents occurred at an intersection when a human driver failed to yield at a stop sign, and in one incident, a Google driver accidentally rear-ended another car while manually driving. Google had previously provided those details. The first monthly report installment sheds new light on which types of self-driving vehicles were involved, directions of travel, locations, and whether the cars were operating in autonomous or manual mode. Update: Google says this information comes directly from the OL 316 forms used to report accidents involving autonomous cars in California, though it has "edited the summaries lightly to protect other drivers' information." But Google still will not release the original OL 316 forms, nor the "traffic collision report" forms used in California to report accidents. Another company that has been involved in a single self-driving car accident, Delphi Automotive, has released this information, which verified its car was not at fault. Regarding Google, Simpson said, "We now know a few more details of what happened. The problem is that it's Google's version and they want us to take their word for it." The Google self-report adds information that goes beyond accidents, with further details on the company's overall program.

Editors' Picks February 2022 | GMC Yukon, CT4-V Blackwing and Lexus NX 450h+

The shortest month of the year spawned a few Editors' Picks choices, and they come from a variety of categories amongst the car world. One comes with a particular caveat, the Lexus NX. Specifically, the new NX that gets our nod is the 450h plug-in hybrid model. We can heartily recommend an NX in this guise for its superb electrified powertrain, but the other versions fail to stir us in the same way. Beyond this, it's some of the latest from GM cleaning up, and they sure are some good ones. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in January that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2022 GMC Yukon Quick take: The Yukon is a big, comfortable and versatile SUV that has a little something for everybody, so long as you can stomach the fuel economy. It's an excellent middle ground between the Tahoe and Escalade. Score: 8.0 What it competes with: Ford Expedition, Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, Lincoln Navigator, Chevrolet Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade Pros: Tons of space, comfy ride, great trim variety, powerful engine options Cons: V8 Fuel economy, infotainment can be laggy, unexciting base interiors From the editors Road Test Editor, Zac Palmer — "GM's full-size SUVs are fantastic this time around, especially if you opt for the magnetic shocks and air suspension. The availability of a diesel engine that vastly improves fuel economy is huge, and the Denali trim is more special than ever with its unique interior design. I personally prefer the Yukon's styling over the Tahoe's, too." In-depth analysis: 2022 GMC Yukon Review | AT4 and Denali make the strongest case   2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Quick take: Cadillac is at the top of the mountain with its performance sedans, and the CT4-V Blackwing is no exception. One drive in this magnificent creation will have any enthusiast convinced that it's a top-tier sport sedan.

Lexus LS 500 Inspiration Series is a limited extra-luxe edition of the flagship sedan

Lexus is continuing its trend of making its “Inspiration Series” of cars, and the latest model to get the treatment is the LS 500. Just like all the others before it, this one is mainly an appearance package meant to set it apart from other LS 500s on the road.  The first unique touch is its Deep Garnet paint that isnÂ’t available on the normal LS 500. Then you get 20-inch black chrome wheels that go quite nicely with the paint color. Lexus didnÂ’t forget the Inspiration Series interior, either. Standard is the ultra-luxe Kiriko glass trim you can get as an option on the regular LS 500. It looked stunning on that car, and itÂ’s going to look great combined with the white leather seats on this one, too. Lexus is also giving the Inspiration Series blue LED dash lighting and “Lexus” puddle lamps below the doors. There are only going to be 300 LS 500 Inspiration Series cars sold in America, and theyÂ’re going to be available to buy this fall. Mechanically, itÂ’s exactly the same as a regular LS 500 with the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 making 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. As for pricing on this limited-edition model, Lexus isnÂ’t saying quite yet. A regular LS 500 similarly equipped is around the $100,000 mark, so look out for something in that range when we do get a price. Related Video: