Robotaxi operators in Texas reported 21 new crashes to federal regulators in the latest monthly data release, as five autonomous vehicle companies continue scaling fleets across the state amid intensifying safety scrutiny1,2.
Waymo, which operates the largest robotaxi fleet in Texas with 642 vehicles, accounted for the most crashes in the update with nine. Avride, running 317 vehicles, reported five crashes. Tesla Inc., with 175 vehicles, reported four new crashes statewide, including two in Austin. May Mobility reported two crashes from a fleet of 18 vehicles, and Zoox reported one crash from a fleet of 44 vehicles.
The Austin-specific tallies continue to climb. Tesla's two new Austin crashes bring the company's total reported crashes in the city to 20 since last June. Waymo reported eight additional crashes in Austin, raising its cumulative Austin total to 113. Zoox, which had not reported a crash since March, now has two total crashes in Austin. Avride reported no new Austin crashes, leaving its city tally at 24.
The data, released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, arrives as federal lawmakers push for tighter oversight of autonomous vehicles. Sens. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal have urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to expand autonomous vehicle reporting requirements. The senators asked the agency questions about its evaluations of Tesla's Full Self-Driving system and requested responses by July 7.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Jonathan Morrison has said the agency has documented multiple instances of autonomous vehicles driving into active emergency scenes or failing to recognize basic safety conditions.
Tesla plans to add Cybercab to its robotaxi fleet.
The Texas crash data adds to a broader pattern of autonomous vehicle incidents drawing regulatory attention. In a separate but related development, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie recently called on California state regulators to strengthen oversight of autonomous vehicles after Waymo robotaxis became immobile during the city's July 4 fireworks celebration, blocking key streets and compounding hours of gridlock ctx.
ANALYSIS The per-vehicle crash rates vary across operators: Waymo's nine crashes across 642 vehicles and Tesla's four crashes across 175 vehicles represent different fleet-scale denominators, making direct safety comparisons between operators difficult without additional context on miles driven and operational conditions. ANALYSIS The concurrent federal legislative pressure from Markey and Blumenthal, combined with Morrison's public statements on emergency-scene failures, suggests the regulatory environment around autonomous vehicles is tightening at the federal level even as Texas continues to permit fleet expansion.