The number of robotaxi crash reports is on the rise in Texas as Tesla, Waymo and some other companies quickly expand their fleets, Tesla having had eight incidents in Austin during the most recent four-week reporting period.
The Austin American-Statesman, citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, states that there were 22 incidents involving robotaxis reported throughout the state during the four-week period ending August 17; eight of these took place in Austin, four in Houston and 10 in Dallas and Arlington combined, while no new crashes were reported in San Antonio.
This increase occurs as operators of autonomous vehicles add hundreds of vehicles throughout the state. Before the Cybercab model was launched, Tesla had registered 45 Cybercabs, which has now brought its robotaxi fleet to 439 vehicles in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Alphabet’s Waymo has expanded its fleet in Texas to nearly 1,000 vehicles.
Austin is now one of the state’s principal testing sites. Tesla has had 23 crashes in the city since June 2025, whereas Waymo has 135 crashes in Austin. Avride has reported 27 crashes involving its fleet of 344 Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles, and Amazon-owned Zoox has had three crashes among its 44 vehicles.
The most recent events in Austin were different in each case. In one instance a Tesla robotaxi hit a metal bollard and chain fence, and another involved an e-bike rider who sustained only minor injuries after losing control and crashing into the side of an Avride vehicle. In other cases reported for Waymo, conventional vehicles drove into its lane, a garbage truck backed into a robotaxi and a car damaged the underpart of the robotaxi as it went through the exit from a parking lot.
Texas has now seen its first robotaxi-related death since June 2025 to appear in the NHTSA’s database, the incident involving a 71-year-old pedestrian who was first hit by a petrol-driven SUV and then knocked against the side of a Waymo vehicle. The police were still investigating the case, and at the time of the report no arrests or charges had been announced.
As the number of autonomous vehicles on Texas roads increases, more focus is being placed on safety data, as companies compete to expand their commercial robotaxi services into the state’s major metropolitan areas.
Source: Austin American-Statesman
Author: Andrea Guzmán, Staff Writer
Original Link: https://www.statesman.com/business/article/robotaxi-crashes-texas-first-fatality-22432719.php