Austin robotaxi crashes rise

Austin’s robotaxi safety picture has become easier to quantify because federal crash reporting now shows more incidents for several operators at once. San Antonio Express-News reported on May 20 that the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data added to the Austin crash totals for Waymo, Avride and Tesla. The new figures arrive as regulators are already investigating Avride over Texas incidents and as Tesla and Waymo continue expanding or refining service in the city. The records do not show a single common failure mode across all three companies, but they do show that Austin remains one of the country’s busiest real-world test beds for autonomous ride-hailing. ### Which companies saw their Austin crash counts go up? Federal data reviewed by San Antonio Express-News and republished in secondary reports this week showed higher Austin crash totals for Waymo, Avride and Tesla. EVSHIFT, citing the latest regulator filings, said Waymo’s Austin total rose to 75 from just under 70 in the prior month’s data, while Tesla’s Austin total rose to 17 from 15. March 19 reporting by San Antonio Express-News had already shown how quickly those totals were moving. At that point, Tesla had reported 15 Austin crashes since launching its service in June 2025, and Waymo had reported 60 since June, according to a TNS version of the article carried by Government Technology. ### What is the federal government investigating at Avride? (evshift.com) NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE26003 on May 6 to examine Avride’s automated driving system after 16 crashes in Austin and Dallas, according to the agency’s investigation resume. The document says the probe covers vehicles “executing lane changes into other vehicles and failing to avoid vehicles or objects in the roadway, resulting in crashes.” (govtech.com) The same NHTSA document says investigators reviewed videos showing Avride vehicles changing lanes into adjacent traffic, failing to slow or stop for slow-moving or stopped vehicles, failing to avoid vehicles entering the lane ahead, and striking stationary objects partly obstructing the lane. NHTSA said those crashes resulted in property damage and one alleged minor injury. (static.nhtsa.gov) NHTSA also said Avride had been offering public passenger service on the Uber platform in Dallas since December 3, 2025, and that many of the reported crashes occurred there. The agency said the evaluation would assess the scope and severity of the potential safety risks and any safeguards or mitigating actions already in place. ### What do the latest Austin incidents look like? (static.nhtsa.gov) Austin-area incidents described in recent reports were not all the same. EVSHIFT said one March Austin crash involved an Avride vehicle in autonomous mode attempting a left turn when a pickup truck ran a red light and hit the robotaxi, while another involved an Avride vehicle stopped at a red light being rear-ended by a van. (static.nhtsa.gov) Tesla’s newly unredacted crash narratives added detail that had been missing from earlier public filings. EVSHIFT reported that in one July incident a teleoperator took control after a safety monitor requested help and drove a Tesla onto a curb and into a metal fence; in a January incident, after a request for navigation support, a Tesla made contact with a temporary construction barricade at about 9 mph. TechCrunch separately reported that Tesla disclosed at least two Austin crashes involving teleoperators. (evshift.com) March reporting on Waymo described four newly reported Austin crashes through mid-February, including three collisions with pickup trucks and another with a flat wooden object. Government Technology, citing San Antonio Express-News, said Waymo reported its vehicles were stationary or moving about 2 mph in the pickup-truck collisions. (evshift.com) ### Why does Austin keep showing up in these filings? Austin has become a concentrated operating zone for multiple autonomous vehicle companies. Axios reported on April 28 that Waymo had expanded from an initial 40 square miles to 130 square miles in Austin, and EVSHIFT said Waymo’s fleet in the city had grown to 300 vehicles with plans to expand its service area. (govtech.com) Tesla has also been testing different operating models in Austin. CNBC reported on January 22 that Elon Musk said Tesla had removed human safety monitors from some Austin Robotaxis, while other reporting has shown the company still using remote supervision and, in many cases, onboard monitors. ### What happens next? (axios.com) NHTSA’s PE26003 investigation remains open as of May 21, and the agency’s public resume does not list a closing date. Under the federal Standing General Order reporting system, operators continue submitting crash reports that can change monthly totals as new incidents are added or narratives are updated. Austin will keep generating those disclosures because Waymo is still expanding service in the city and Tesla continues testing and operating Robotaxis there. (cnbc.com) The next public updates are likely to appear through new company filings to NHTSA and any additional agency action in the Avride probe. (axios.com) (static.nhtsa.gov)