How many robotaxi crashes have been reported?

Updated monthly after NHTSA releases new Standing General Order crash data. This edition reflects Austin crash reports through August 17, 2026.

This article covers Texas in depth, adds Florida and Illinois service status, and includes national NHTSA figures. Every figure below carries its date and source. Figures from a single secondary outlet are attributed to that outlet, and where we lack a reliable number, we leave it out rather than estimate.

How many robotaxi crashes have been reported in Austin?

Three operators reported 185 from June 2025 through August 17, 2026, according to the San Antonio Express-News (via GovTech, September 16, 2026). Waymo accounts for most of them, and it also had the largest registered Texas fleet as of May 28, 2026.

Operator	Austin crashes reported to NHTSA, June 2025 through Aug. 17, 2026
Waymo	135
Avride	27
Tesla	23
Total, three operators	185

Source: San Antonio Express-News via GovTech (September 16, 2026).

Tesla's count rose from 14 Austin crashes as of NHTSA's February 17, 2026 data release, according to CBS News and Electrek, to 23 in data through August 17, 2026. Many involved another driver striking the Tesla. One July 2025 crash, first reported as property damage only, was raised in a December 2025 update to "Minor W/ Hospitalization": an SUV rear-ended the Tesla at about 2 mph, and the safety monitor later reported pain and sought medical evaluation, according to Electrek. At least three Tesla crashes involved remote operators controlling the car (an Austin fence in July 2025, an Austin barricade at about 9 mph in January 2026, and a Houston tree stump in May 2026), according to TechCrunch and Electrek.

What these numbers mean for someone hurt in the city is covered in our article on robotaxi crashes in Austin.

How many robotaxis are registered in Texas?

When Texas began enforcing its authorization requirement on May 28, 2026, the TxDMV registry listed Waymo, Avride, Tesla, and Zoox with 971 vehicles combined, according to CNBC as reported by The Next Web.

Operator	Vehicles registered with TxDMV, May 28, 2026
Waymo	577
Avride	317
Tesla	42
Zoox	35

Source: CNBC via The Next Web (May 31, 2026).

Two later figures come from different sources. Tesla North, a Tesla fan site, reported Tesla's Texas registry at 739 vehicles (420 Model Y and 319 Cybercab) on October 8, 2026; those are registered, not necessarily operating. The Express-News's September 2026 reporting described Avride's fleet as 344 Hyundai Ioniq 5s. Registration also says nothing about supervision: Tesla said its unsupervised service covered the Austin metro on June 3, 2026, but trackers counted only about 20 unsupervised vehicles, according to Electrek.

How many robotaxi crashes has NHTSA recorded nationwide?

About 825 automated driving system incidents as of April 2026, according to Not a Tesla App (April 20, 2026). The report did not state the period covered, so treat it as a rough snapshot.

Operator	ADS incidents in NHTSA reports, as of April 2026
Waymo	697
Avride	41
Zoox	32
Tesla	18
All operators	About 825

Source: Not a Tesla App (April 20, 2026); period not stated.

Do not compare this table directly with the Austin table; they come from different outlets and cover different windows.

Have any robotaxi crashes in Texas been fatal?

One. In August 2026 in Dallas, an SUV struck a pedestrian, who was thrown into an unoccupied Waymo and died at the hospital. It is the only Texas fatality in NHTSA's robotaxi crash database since June 2025, according to the San Antonio Express-News via GovTech (September 16, 2026) and NBC DFW (August 8, 2026). Police announced no arrests or charges, and the investigation was ongoing.

What robotaxi crash data is available for Florida?

None broken out by operator yet. No outlet has published a Florida tally of NHTSA robotaxi crash reports by operator, so Florida crash counts are pending our first analysis of NHTSA's data, and Florida figures will be added after that analysis. As of October 2026, we found no confirmed Florida robotaxi injury crash, fatality, or Florida-specific NHTSA investigation.

Operator	Florida service, as reported	Source
Waymo	Miami: open to the public January 22, 2026, about 60 square miles (Design District, Wynwood, Brickell, Coral Gables). An expansion to about 150 square miles, including Miami Beach, was announced in May 2026 with no start dates.	WSVN (January 22, 2026); NBC Miami (May 13, 2026)
Waymo	Orlando: open to all riders April 15, 2026, about 60 square miles (downtown and the tourist district)	ClickOrlando (April 15, 2026)
Waymo	Tampa: first public riders September 1, 2026, invite-based, about 50 square miles (Westshore to Highland Pines, including Hyde Park)	Business Observer (September 1, 2026)
Tesla	Miami: launched July 2026. Orlando and Tampa: announced July 21, 2026. Tesla has not confirmed whether its Florida rides are supervised.	Reuters (July 6, 2026); Insurance Journal (July 24, 2026)
Zoox	Miami: rider testing announced; paid service not confirmed	WLRN (March 25, 2026)
MOIA and Beep	Lake Nona (Orlando): Volkswagen ID. Buzz shuttles since September 2026, with human safety monitors and invited riders only	Hoodline (September 25, 2026)

Two Miami-area incidents drew attention in 2026, and in neither did a robotaxi injure anyone:

• On May 17, 2026, in Miami-Dade, an unoccupied Waymo struck a condo gate arm. No one was hurt, according to NBC Miami.
• In July 2026, a viral claim that a Waymo hit a cyclist in Miami Beach turned out to be wrong. Police said a parked car making a U-turn hit the cyclist and its driver was cited; the Waymo was stopped and made no contact, according to Axios Miami (July 15, 2026).

What Florida law says about who pays after a crash is covered in our article on who pays when a robotaxi crashes in Florida.

Are there robotaxi crashes in Illinois?

We found no Chicago robotaxi crashes as of October 2026. No Illinois law authorizes driverless operation, and the only activity we found is testing with human safety drivers.

Waymo began mapping Chicago in February 2026, according to the Chicago Tribune, and was testing there with human safety drivers by April 2026, according to Capitol News Illinois, which reported: "For now, the autonomous vehicles must be driven by a human." Waymo has announced no launch date. The Chicago mayor's office told the Chicago Sun-Times on February 25, 2026: "As of now, autonomous vehicles have not been authorized within the City of Chicago or the State of Illinois." We found no Tesla or Zoox robotaxi activity in Illinois. If a test car hits you, our article on robotaxis and self-driving cars in Illinois explains your options.

What do Waymo's own safety numbers show?

Waymo reports far fewer injury crashes than human drivers over the same miles. These are Waymo's own analyses, published on its safety impact page and fetched October 10, 2026, covering 271.3 million rider-only miles through June 2026.

Measure, through June 2026	Waymo compared with human-driver benchmarks
Injury-causing crashes	82% fewer
Serious-injury-or-worse crashes	95% fewer
Airbag-deployment crashes	82% fewer
Pedestrian-injury crashes	93% fewer

Source: Waymo Safety Impact (fetched October 10, 2026).

An independent check points the same direction: a July 2026 IIHS study of Waymo found 68% fewer police-reportable crashes per mile across San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin (the Austin rate alone, from a small sample, was 4% higher than human drivers), according to secondary reports of that study. We have not seen comparable public per-mile safety figures for Tesla, Avride, or Zoox.

See also our articles on suing Waymo after a crash and Tesla Robotaxi crashes.

What safety problems have regulators flagged?

The clearest example involves school buses. NHTSA opened an investigation in October 2025 after Waymo vehicles passed stopped school buses, and Waymo recalled the software on 3,067 vehicles in December 2025. As of December 2025, Texas officials had reported 19 illegal school-bus passings in Texas that school year, and Austin ISD reported five in November 2025 and another on December 1, according to CBT News (December 8, 2025).

On May 6, 2026, NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation (PE26003) into 16 Avride crashes in Dallas and Austin, involving vehicles with an operator in the driver's seat. On Tesla, NHTSA said in June 2025 that it was "in contact with the manufacturer" after videos of erratic driving. We have not found a formal NHTSA defect investigation specific to Tesla's Robotaxi service.

Are robotaxis safe?

On the data available, Waymo's robotaxis crash less often per mile than human drivers, and IIHS's study, as reported, points the same way. The data is thinner for everyone else, and Waymo's own figures are self-reported. A lower rate is not zero, though. People hurt in robotaxi crashes can still bring injury claims, and our guide on what to do after a robotaxi or self-driving car crash covers the next steps.

How is robotaxi crash data collected, and what are its limits?

• The reporting rule. The crash figures here come from reports filed under NHTSA's Standing General Order 2021-01 (Third Amended, effective June 16, 2025), as compiled by the outlets named with each number.
• What must be reported. Automated driving system operators must report crashes involving a fatality, a hospital-treated injury, a struck vulnerable road user, an airbag deployment, or a tow-away within 5 calendar days. Other qualifying crashes are due by the 15th of the following month.
• Who files. The companies report their own crashes. Reports can be updated later, as Tesla's December 2025 severity change shows.
• Redactions. The public data is partly redacted. Tesla was the only operator that fully redacted its crash narratives as "confidential business information" until it un-redacted them in May 2026, according to Electrek and TechCrunch (May 15, 2026).
• Why raw counts mislead. The reporting duty turns on the crash and its outcome, not on who caused it. A report does not mean the robotaxi was at fault; many reported Tesla crashes involved another driver striking the Tesla. Counts also rise with fleet size and miles driven. We do not publish Austin per-mile crash rates because we do not have verified Austin mileage for every operator.
• Our rules. Each figure carries its as-of date and source. Figures reported by a single secondary outlet are attributed to that outlet. Registered vehicles are labeled as registered, not operating.

How to cite this page: GB Law, "How Many Robotaxi Crashes Have Been Reported?", last updated October 10, 2026. For each figure, please also cite the original source listed below.

Sources

• NHTSA recall report 25E-084, December 10, 2025: Waymo school-bus software recall
• San Antonio Express-News via GovTech, September 16, 2026: Austin crash totals, Avride fleet, and the Dallas fatality
• Waymo Safety Impact, fetched October 10, 2026: Waymo safety figures
• NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01, Third Amended, effective June 16, 2025: reporting rules
• CNBC via The Next Web, May 31, 2026: Texas registry counts at authorization launch
• Not a Tesla App, April 20, 2026: national incident snapshot
• Electrek, February 17, 2026 and CBS News, February 17, 2026: Tesla crash milestone
• Electrek, May 15, 2026, Electrek, June 3, 2026, Electrek, July 20, 2026, and TechCrunch, May 15, 2026: Tesla redactions, supervision, and remote-operator crashes
• Tesla North, October 9, 2026 (fan site): Tesla registry count of October 8, 2026
• CBT News, December 8, 2025: Waymo school-bus investigation and recall
• NBC DFW, August 8, 2026: Dallas fatality
• IIHS study, July 2026, as reported: independent safety comparison
• NHTSA PE26003 notice, opened May 6, 2026: Avride investigation
• WSVN, January 22, 2026: Waymo Miami launch
• NBC Miami, May 13, 2026: Waymo Miami expansion
• ClickOrlando, April 15, 2026: Waymo Orlando
• Business Observer, September 1, 2026: Waymo Tampa
• Reuters, July 6, 2026: Tesla Miami launch
• Insurance Journal, July 24, 2026: Tesla Orlando and Tampa
• WLRN, March 25, 2026: Zoox Miami testing
• Hoodline, September 25, 2026: Lake Nona shuttles
• NBC Miami, May 17, 2026: Miami-Dade gate-arm incident
• Axios Miami, July 15, 2026: Miami Beach cyclist claim
• Chicago Tribune via GovTech, February 25, 2026: Waymo Chicago mapping
• Capitol News Illinois, April 7, 2026: Waymo Chicago testing
• Chicago Sun-Times, February 25, 2026: Chicago mayor's office statement

Working with GB Law

Gianna Scatchell Basile is licensed to practice law in Illinois. GB Law does not represent clients in Texas or Florida. If you were hurt in a crash outside Illinois, we can help you find a lawyer licensed where it happened. If we refer your matter to another firm or work on it with one, we will tell you who that lawyer is and how any fee is divided before you sign anything, and you must agree to it in writing.

Questions people ask

Which robotaxi company has reported the most crashes in Austin?

Waymo, with 135 Austin crashes reported to NHTSA from June 2025 through August 17, 2026, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Waymo also had the largest Texas fleet, 577 registered vehicles as of May 28, 2026, according to CNBC via The Next Web. More cars and miles produce more reports, so the count alone says nothing about which company drives more safely.

How many times has Tesla's Robotaxi crashed in Austin?

Tesla reported 23 Austin crashes to NHTSA from June 2025 through August 17, 2026, according to the San Antonio Express-News. That is up from 14 as of NHTSA's February 17, 2026 data release, according to CBS News and Electrek. At least three Tesla crashes involved remote operators, according to TechCrunch and Electrek, and many involved another driver striking the Tesla.

Does a crash report mean the robotaxi caused the crash?

No, a report only means a crash happened and met NHTSA's reporting criteria. The duty to report depends on what happened, such as an injury, an airbag deployment, or a tow-away, not on who was at fault. In the August 2026 Dallas fatality, an SUV struck the pedestrian before he was thrown into the Waymo. Fault is a separate question, answered with evidence such as the police report and the vehicle's own data.

Why are some robotaxi crash reports redacted?

NHTSA's public crash data is partly redacted. Tesla was the only operator that fully redacted its crash narratives as "confidential business information," and it un-redacted them in May 2026, according to Electrek and TechCrunch. Redactions make public reports less useful, which is why injured people usually need the company's own records.

How many robotaxis does Tesla have registered in Texas?

Tesla had 739 vehicles registered in Texas as of October 8, 2026 (420 Model Y and 319 Cybercab), according to Tesla North, a Tesla fan site. Those are registered, not necessarily operating. When Texas began enforcing its authorization requirement on May 28, 2026, Tesla had 42 registered vehicles, according to CNBC via The Next Web.

Have any robotaxis been recalled?

Yes, Waymo recalled the software on 3,067 vehicles in December 2025. The recall followed an NHTSA investigation, opened in October 2025, into Waymo vehicles passing stopped school buses. As of December 2025, Texas officials had reported 19 illegal school-bus passings in Texas that school year, and Austin ISD reported five in November 2025 and another on December 1, according to CBT News.

How often is this page updated?

Monthly, after NHTSA releases new Standing General Order crash data. Each update changes the as-of dates and figures on this page to match the newest verified reporting, and the date at the top shows when the page last changed. If a figure cannot be confirmed for the new period, it stays at its old date rather than being estimated.