Tesla’s foray into autonomous ride-hailing is facing scrutiny after data revealed its robotaxi fleet in Austin, Texas, is experiencing accidents at a significantly higher rate than human drivers. The findings raise questions about the safety and viability of the company’s ambitious plans to scale the service nationwide, a move that could disrupt the transportation industry.
Accident Rate Four Times Higher Than Human Drivers
According to data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Tesla’s own research, a human-driven vehicle is involved in minor incidents approximately every 230,000 miles, police-reported collisions every 500,000 miles, and serious accidents every 700,000 miles.
In contrast, the 43-vehicle fleet of Tesla robotaxis operating in Austin has logged around 800,000 miles over eight months of operation and has been involved in 14 separate accidents. This translates to an accident occurring every 57,000 miles – four times more frequently than with a human driver.
Breakdown of Accidents
A report submitted to the NHTSA database details the types of collisions experienced by the Tesla robotaxis:
- 5 collisions with other vehicles;
- 5 incidents involving collisions with stationary objects;
- 1 collision with a cyclist;
- 1 collision with an animal;
- 2 collisions with “other” objects.
One incident involved a robotaxi colliding with an SUV at just 2 miles per hour, resulting in a passenger requiring hospitalization. Importantly, many of the tests in Austin have been conducted with safety engineers present in the vehicle, capable of activating an emergency stop. The total number of accidents avoided due to human intervention remains undisclosed.
Transparency Concerns and Worsening Trend
Rather than improving with experience, the accident rate appears to be increasing. Tesla reported five new accidents during December and January alone, representing nearly 36% of all incidents occurring in just the past two months.
Concerns are also being raised about the transparency of Tesla’s reporting. An accident that resulted in a passenger’s hospitalization initially was categorized as causing only property damage in July 2025. The classification was quietly changed to “minor injury requiring hospitalization” five months later, in December. This delayed correction raises questions about the completeness and accuracy of Tesla’s reports.
Real-World Examples Highlight System Limitations
Real-world footage shared online further illustrates the limitations of the system. A video circulating on YouTube shows a Tesla robotaxi autonomously driving into an active road construction zone, failing to recognize hand signals from a construction worker directing traffic. The vehicle became stuck until remote operators intervened.
Despite repeated claims from company leadership that its camera-based Autopilot system is safer than human drivers, and plans to expand testing to cover half the country, the data and incident videos paint a different picture. The project remains confined to a limited area in two cities, and a human driver continues to be a more reliable option than the multi-billion dollar technology. This raises the question of why Austin residents are still permitted to utilize these services on public roads.
Source: https://electrek.co/2026/02/17/tesla-robotaxi-adds-5-more-crashes-austin-month-4x-worse-than-humans/
