**Tesla’s Robotaxi Service Faces Early Setbacks in Austin, Raising Questions About Autonomous Vehicle Safety**
In late June 2024, Tesla officially launched its highly anticipated Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, marking a significant step for the company’s ambitions in autonomous transportation. Elon Musk has long touted the potential of Tesla’s self-driving technology, promising a future where driverless vehicles provide convenient, on-demand rides. However, the Robotaxi rollout has already encountered several notable challenges, particularly concerning its safety record.
**Crash Reports Emerge Shortly After Launch**
According to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla’s Robotaxis have been involved in four crashes since September 2024. The most recent incident, as highlighted by the electric vehicle news outlet Electrek, involved a Robotaxi colliding with a fixed object in a parking lot. These incidents are particularly noteworthy because Texas state law currently requires every Tesla Robotaxi to have a human safety monitor onboard. These monitors are equipped with a killswitch, allowing them to override the autonomous system and take control of the vehicle if necessary.
The presence of a human monitor was meant to offer an additional layer of safety, especially as Tesla’s full self-driving system continues to evolve. Despite this precaution, the crashes raise pressing concerns about the readiness and reliability of Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.
**Regulatory Oversight and Reporting**
The NHTSA, the federal agency responsible for enforcing vehicle safety regulations, requires that all companies operating autonomous vehicles report any crashes involving their technology within five days of being notified. These reports fall into two categories: those involving advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), like Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” mode in consumer vehicles, and those involving more advanced autonomous driving systems (ADS), which operate without a human actively controlling the vehicle.
Until recently, Tesla primarily reported incidents involving its ADAS systems. The launch of the Robotaxi service marks the first time Tesla has had to submit reports under the ADS category—joining other companies like Waymo, which have been operating fully autonomous vehicles for several years.
**Comparing Tesla and Waymo’s Safety Records**
With both Tesla and Waymo now reporting ADS-related crashes, Electrek conducted a comparative analysis of their respective safety records, drawing from NHTSA data. The results are striking: Tesla’s Robotaxis have logged approximately 250,000 miles since the Austin service began, while Waymo’s autonomous fleet has covered a staggering 125 million miles since its inception.
Within this period, Tesla’s Robotaxis have been involved in four reported crashes, equating to one crash every 62,500 miles. In contrast, Waymo’s vehicles have been involved in 1,267 crashes, which translates to one crash every 98,600 miles. This means that, on a per-mile basis, Tesla’s Robotaxi service is currently experiencing more frequent crashes than Waymo’s service.
Perhaps even more significant is the fact that Waymo vehicles operate without human safety