AMZN News & Events

The National Transportation Safety Board called for standardized performance requirements and greater oversight to improve the safety of automated vehicle technology. The NTSB investigated two fatal 2024 crashes in which vehicles using Ford Motor Company's (F) hands-free partial automation system, BlueCruise, failed to stop for stationary vehicles. In a public meeting Tuesday to consider the investigations, the NTSB concluded that the drivers' overreliance on the automated system contributed to both crashes. In a Feb. 24, 2024, crash in San Antonio, a Ford traveling east in the center lane of Interstate 10 struck a stationary 1999 Honda CR-V (HMC). The Honda driver was killed, and the Ford driver sustained minor injuries. In a March 3, 2024, crash in Philadelphia, a Ford traveling north in the left lane of Interstate 95 struck two stationary vehicles-a 2012 Hyundai Elantra (HYMLF) and a 2006 Toyota Prius (TM) -causing them to collide with a passing Toyota Corolla. The drivers of the Prius and Elantra were killed. The Ford driver sustained minor injuries, and the Corolla driver was uninjured. In both crashes, no driver-applied or system-initiated braking or steering was recorded in the moments before impact. The NTSB found several gaps in safety and oversight of partial automation systems. There are no federal requirements for these systems to record data during crashes, which often means that manufacturers lack the needed information to comply with NHTSA's standing general order requiring them to report crashes involving this technology. Without manufacturer awareness and consistent data, critical information about these crashes remains inaccessible to regulators, investigators, law enforcement and safety groups. The NTSB issued recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA and Ford calling for: stronger federal guidelines and performance standards for safety features of partial automation systems, crash data recording and automatic crash notification requirements, improved driver monitoring systems to detect distraction, and changes to Ford's BlueCruise system to reduce excessive speeding and improve driver attention. Other publicly traded companies making autonomous vehicle technology include Tesla (TSLA), Waymo (GOOGL), Zoox (AMZN), Baidu (BIDU), and Pony AI (PONY).

Spectrum (CHTR) and Amazon (AMZN) announced the Spectrum TV App will launch on Amazon Fire TV devices starting on April 15, expanding the availability of the treaming app and giving customers another way to watch live Spectrum TV.

The Teamsters union said in a statement: "In a landmark settlement, Amazon has conceded it will no longer retaliate against workers who exercise their right to strike, following relentless pressure from the Teamsters Union in sessions mediated by the National Labor Relations Board." "When workers organize together as Teamsters, we have the power to go toe-to-toe with the biggest corporations in the world - and to win," said Randy Korgan, Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division. "Amazon Teamsters dragged the world's largest retailer to the table kicking and screaming to try to fix the problems the company created for union members. The National Labor Relations Board now needs to stop dragging its feet and ratify this agreement immediately. The Teamsters will keep building worker power at Amazon nationwide and win the contracts that these workers deserve." Amazon's settlement with the Teamsters will now restore the illegally deducted time to affected workers and ensure all Amazon workers can strike in the future without losing their UPT. The settlement will cover all of Amazon's 1,300 facilities nationwide, and Amazon is required to post a notice to workers informing them of their rights. Nearly 10,000 Amazon workers have organized with the Teamsters over the last two years, the union said.