Since the start of 2025, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recorded 68 autonomous vehicle crashes.
One company under scrutiny is Avride, an autonomous vehicle developer partnered with Uber, which has delivered robotaxi rides via Uber in Dallas since December 2025. The company has reported 17 crashes in Texas, and while no injuries were recorded, most incidents did involve property damage.
With Texas now a major hub for autonomous vehicle providers and testing, we’ll consider a surge in Texas robotaxi and rideshare violations. We’ll also look at where Texas ranks in the U.S. for autonomous vehicle danger, how different companies compare safety-wise, and what determines fault in an autonomous vehicle crash.
Let’s start the study with a close focus on Texas autonomous vehicle safety.
Autonomous and ADAS-Assisted Vehicle Safety
2025 NHTSA data shows that self-driving vehicle crashes in Texas were elevated throughout the year: crash numbers ranged between 61 and 112 incidents every month. January 2026 saw a record 118 crashes, the highest monthly total since federal reporting began (July 2021).
Across available datasets, comparisons between human-driven and autonomous vehicles show varied outcomes depending on whether we measure severity, fault, or exposure. Self-driving cars report roughly 9.1 crashes per million miles, compared to 4.1 crashes per million miles for human drivers, which clearly suggests a higher overall per-mile crash rate.
However, autonomous vehicle crashes tend to be less severe: data from between 2021 and 2025 suggests they tend to involve far fewer injuries (and no recorded fatalities).
In 2025 in Austin, there were approximately 12,000 total vehicle crashes. Just 85 involved autonomous vehicles, reflecting a much smaller fleet share (around 300 vehicles out of a total 834,000).
Injury and fatality data reveal a significant contrast: human-driven vehicles accounted for around 8,000 injuries and 99 deaths; autonomous vehicle crashes resulted in eight injuries and no deaths.
A number of key studies suggest improved safety outcomes for autonomous vehicles under controlled comparisons. A peer-reviewed analysis of over 7.14 million autonomous miles established an 85% reduction in injury-related crashes compared with human-driven vehicles (0.41 vs. 2.80 incidents per million miles).
Similarly, Waymo reports 84% fewer airbag-deployment crashes, 80% fewer injury crashes, and notable reductions in pedestrian (92%) and cyclist (82%) injury collisions compared to human drivers using exactly the same environments.
Despite key autonomous safety improvements, some safety issues persist. For example, autonomous EV battery-related fires are often difficult to extinguish due to thermal runaway risks, with high temperatures and toxic gas emissions. A number of high-profile Tesla crashes involved lengthy fires that necessitated a large-scale emergency response.
Nonetheless, NHTSA data tells us that autonomous systems are at fault in just 4% of crashes: most incidents involve human-driven vehicles colliding with robotaxis. Regarding 234 incidents in which autonomous vehicles were at fault, there were 14 human injuries and no fatalities. A small proportion (7.8%) was due to hardware or software failures.
If we compare ADAS systems (which are reliant on human oversight) to fully autonomous vehicles, performance safety diminishes. While fully autonomous systems report very low fatality counts, ADAS-equipped vehicles have been involved in significantly more deaths, emphasizing a key differential.
Additional concerns include ADAS system disengagement, vulnerabilities around cybersecurity (such as documented vehicle hacking cases), and inconsistent real-world performance compared to controlled testing.
Overall, the data suggests that while autonomous vehicles have been involved in a higher proportion of minor crashes per mile, the accidents were less severe than those involving human drivers. Additionally, ADAS systems remain less reliable than fully autonomous vehicles.
Here’s a table that shows what EVs most often collided with between May 2025 and June 2026.
When we talk about autonomous vehicles on Texan or U.S. roads, there’s a good chance we’re referring to a robotaxi. But how do the various robotaxi providers compare when it comes to safety?
Which RoboTaxi Provider Reports the Most Crashes
Because Waymo and Cruise have logged the most autonomous testing and commercial miles on U.S. public roads, they represent most of the fielded autonomous vehicle reports filed by the NHTSA.
And it’s clear that traditional rideshare platforms continue to experience significant safety challenges. According to Uber’s own U.S. Safety Report, the company recorded 153 motor vehicle fatalities during a period that covered 7.2 billion trips, a 40% increase on figures from the previous year’s report. During a similar period, Lyft also reported a 31% increase in fatal crashes.
Avride
Avride began operating in Austin in 2024 and initially reported just two 2025 crashes (a rear-end collision caused by another vehicle and a hit-and-run incident that involved a reversing car).
As mentioned earlier, by May 2026, Avride had reported 17 total crashes during Austin testing. No injuries were reported, and most incidents resulted only in property damage.
Tesla
Between 2021 and 2025, Tesla reported 2,912 crashes involving its automated driving systems. Of those crashes, 55 were fatal and 36 involved serious injuries. Tesla has also faced a federal investigation involving around 2.5 million vehicles regarding concerns that serious accidents were linked to its self-driving technology failing to deal with low-light conditions.
Tesla’s robotaxi program remains relatively small (a fleet of less than 40 vehicles). Since launching in June 2025, the fleet has reported 15 crashes.
In one dataset that examined 825 automated driving system (ADS) incidents, Tesla accounted for 18 crashes, most of which involved fixed objects and SUVs.
Waymo
Between 2021 and 2025, Waymo (which operates the largest autonomous fleet in Austin) reported a national total of 1,591 crashes. Since June 2025, the company has reported 60 crashes in Austin.
Several incidents were deemed serious enough for regulatory scrutiny. In January 2025, a Waymo vehicle crashed into a truck trailer; in May 2025, a Waymo vehicle’s wheel came off, resulting in minimal passenger injuries; and in January 2026 crash occurred during which a child was injured.
Regarding the latter incident, a subsequent National Transportation Safety Board investigation revealed other examples of Waymo vehicles passing stopped school buses. In at least one case, a remote operator directed the vehicle to continue, even while students were boarding.
Waymo also faced regulatory action after flooding incidents in Texas. After multiple Waymo vehicles entered floodwaters in San Antonio during spring 2026, the company recalled 3,791 of its vehicles equipped with fifth- and sixth-generation autonomous driving systems and subsequently suspended their San Antonio operations.
NHTSA data indicate that about 90% of Waymo crashes do not lead to injuries. Among 825 reported ADS incidents in one dataset, Waymo accounted for 697 crashes (reflecting its large operational footprint). Most involved no more than minor property damage, although 51 involved minor injuries, 23 led to the hospitalization of a crash victim, and one crash victim died.
Generally, autonomous vehicle crash patterns show that the vehicles most often collide with ordinary urban traffic such as passenger cars, SUVs, trucks, and buses, reflecting the environments in which they operate.
According to NHTSA data from May 2025 to June 2026, the following AV brand crash counts are recorded.
States with the Most Rideshare AV Accidents
Robotaxi companies are rapidly expanding their U.S. services. As this happens, cities work continuously to address growing autonomous vehicle safety challenges.
For example, Seattle is currently exploring how to communicate directly with autonomous vehicles during an emergency. As things stand, when there’s a 911 call regarding robotaxi operations, dispatchers usually notify a robotaxi company by email about the location and nature of the emergency so vehicles can avoid affected areas.
Meanwhile, Waymo currently offers robotaxi services in 11 U.S. metropolitan areas and is running services during the FIFA World Cup (in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, and the San Francisco Bay Area).
The following states recorded the highest numbers of autonomous vehicle crashes reported to the NHTSA between June 2025 and May 2026.
Texas takes third spot, far ahead of Nevada in fourth place. Texas’s relatively open regulatory environment, along with its heavy commercial traffic and extensive AV deployment contribute to high crash totals. The crash number comparison indicates how variance in regulation, traffic conditions, and testing exposure can influence autonomous vehicle crash statistics.
If we narrow our focus to Tesla crashes, here are the ten states in which most of the company’s accidents have been recorded (data from 2021-2025).
AV Crashes: Who’s Culpable?
After regular car crashes, injured parties usually pursue a claim based on driver fault. When it comes to fully autonomous vehicles, liability may shift to the company responsible for operating the vehicle, the vehicle manufacturer, or whoever is responsible for updating the vehicle’s automated systems.
Texas first established its autonomous vehicles legal framework in 2017 through Senate Bill 2205. The law stipulates that AVs must comply with state registration, insurance, and traffic laws, meet federal safety mandates, carry data-recording systems, and stop and alert authorities after a crash.
More recently, Senate Bill 2807 expanded AV-related oversight by allowing the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to approve AV operations and investigate AV-related incidents. The law also means AV companies must submit first-responder interaction plans to the Texas Department of Public Safety and support the public reporting of robotaxi safety concerns through Texas’s complaint system.
Under Texas law, when a fully autonomous vehicle’s Automated Driving System (ADS) is activated, it is then legally considered the vehicle’s operator.
As a result, crash liability may be attributed to the autonomous fleet operator, vehicle manufacturer, or component suppliers, depending on whether software, hardware, or sensor failures were the key contributory factor.
In order to be eligible to operate a driverless vehicle on Texas roads without a human safety driver, companies must accept financial responsibility for operating the vehicle. They must also cover at least $1 million in commercial liability insurance for bodily injury and death claims.
Autonomous Vehicle Issues Still Persist As Services Expand
In the U.S., autonomous vehicle services are rapidly expanding, particularly in Texas, California, and Arizona, with growing regulatory attention and crash reporting under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since 2025, a significant number of AV-related crashes have been recorded, with a record high reached in January 2026.
Texas is already a major AV testing hub and hosts companies such as Waymo and Avride. The state is also among the top states for AV crash reports due to its large-scale deployment and a comparatively permissive regulatory environment.
While fully autonomous systems report very low fatality counts, ADAS–equipped vehicles have been involved in significantly more deaths, emphasizing a key differential
Key data reveals variable safety outcomes. Although AVs are generally involved in more crashes per mile than human drivers, accidents tend to be much less severe and (according to many data sources) involve far fewer injuries and fatalities.
Studies suggest autonomous systems significantly mitigate injury crashes compared to those involving a human driver. Similarly, companies like Waymo report reductions in the use of airbags, plus fewer pedestrian injuries and collisions with cyclists. However, the majority of AV incidents still involve collisions with standard urban traffic, including passenger cars, SUVs, and trucks.
Company-level data reveals key differentials in scale and exposure. Waymo accounts for the largest share of incidents due to a comparatively large operational footprint.
Companies like Tesla and Avride report a smaller (but growing) number of crashes. Tesla has also been subject to federal scrutiny regarding its driver-assistance systems, which are more frequently involved in fatal incidents than fully autonomous systems.
Regulatory frameworks vary from state to state. In Texas, the law defines the autonomous system as the legal ‘driver,’ which in turn attributes liability to the relevant manufacturer or operator (and subsequently demands significant insurance coverage). Cities are also adapting their own unique infrastructure to enable better AV integration, including enhancing or introducing emergency communication systems.
Overall, regulatory, technological, and environmental factors will continue to strongly influence AV safety outcomes. As fleets expand, how well states and cities can continue to accommodate change, respond to emergencies, and protect service users will determine both the safety and success of autonomous vehicles on American roads.
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