Dumb Talk

Rush Limbaugh still doesn't believe women can drive: Danica Patrick faces sexistattacks

Danica Patrick has enough on her mind just keeping her race car on the track.
NASCAR
Rush Limbaugh is condemning Patrick for her support of President Obama'scontraception rule."What do you expect from a woman driver? I don't know whyeverybody is so shocked," he said.
Fox San Diego sports anchor Ross Shimabuku finds it unattractive that Patrickknows that she's sexy. What?
Women's Media Center/YouTube

Danica Patrick faced wrecks to finish 38th in a frustrating first Daytona 500 for her on Monday night. Now, the auto racer faces sexist attacks from commentators.

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh is condemning Patrick for her support of President Obama's contraception rule: "She said, 'I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for America.' …," Limbaugh mocked. "What do you expect from a woman driver? I don't know why everybody is so shocked."

With a little bit of reflection, one could find better words to describe Patrick. How about talented? What about pioneering? Or brave?

This sexist comment is nothing out of the ordinary for Limbaugh, but it seems ridiculous for him to dismiss Patrick as a "woman driver" — just as it seems unfair to simply sum her up as "sexy."

Patrick recently commented on the objectification of women in the sports industry. "I don't quite understand why when you're referring to a girl, a female athlete in particular, that you have to use the word 'sexy,' " she said. "Is there any other word you could use to describe me?"

Yes, Patrick is young and pretty, and sure, she also plays up her sex appeal for monetary benefit. At the same time, Patrick is causing a stir within the racing industry for, fittingly, her racing. In the male-dominated fields of both IndyCar and NASCAR, Patrick is holding her own while breaking boundaries for other women.

So I think, with a little bit of reflection, one could find better words to describe Patrick. How about talented? What about pioneering? Or brave?

But Fox 5 San Diego sports anchor Ross Shimabuku joked that he had one that "starts with a 'B,' and it's not 'beautiful,' " complaining that Patrick's comment proves that she "always has a chip on her shoulder, trying to prove something."

Shimabuku has since apologized for the remark, and his station suspended him for a week without pay.

One might think that sports commentators would have learned by now that it pays — literally — to err on the politically correct side when speaking on the air.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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