Waymo robotaxis involved in crashes and incidents across U.S. cities
Waymo reported its autonomous vehicles have traveled over 170 million miles with reportedly 92 percent fewer serious-injury crashes than human drivers, but multiple incidents across U.S. cities including a child struck in Santa Monica, vehicles on tram tracks in Phoenix, and school bus pass-bys in Texas have raised safety concerns among transportation analysts.
What happened
Waymo reported that its autonomous vehicles have traveled over 170 million miles as of December 2025 across approximately 3,000 vehicles in 10 cities. The company claimed its vehicles are involved in 92 percent fewer crashes causing serious injuries or worse than human drivers, 83 percent fewer crashes triggering airbag deployment, and 82 percent fewer crashes involving any injury.
Multiple incidents involving Waymo vehicles were reported in different locations. A Waymo vehicle struck a child outside a school in Santa Monica while traveling at 17 mph, with the vehicle braking to approximately 6 mph before impact and the child reported only minor injuries. In Phoenix, a Waymo vehicle was captured driving on tram tracks toward an oncoming train. In Texas, approximately 20 instances of Waymo vehicles passing stopped school buses were reported over the past year. In Austin, a Waymo vehicle became immobilized during a mass shooting incident and blocked emergency responders.
Reported impact
The child struck by the Waymo vehicle in Santa Monica reported only minor injuries according to preliminary investigation. Safety advocates raised questions about how Waymo presents its technology to the public and emphasized the need for more comprehensive safety data before declaring robotaxis safer than human drivers.
Transportation safety experts expressed concerns about autonomous vehicle readiness for public deployment, noting incidents in multiple states and the challenges autonomous vehicles face during emergency situations.
Index analysis
Waymo's reported safety improvements are based on the company's own data, which some safety advocates characterize as incomplete. Cooper Lohr, Senior Policy Analyst for Transportation and Safety, stated that "we need to ensure appropriate accountability structures are in place" and emphasized the need for state governments to verify that autonomous vehicle technologies are safe and proven before deployment on public roads.
Governance controls
Florida's regulatory framework, established in 2019, creates a complex oversight structure in which cities maintain authority over local roadway management while regulation of autonomous vehicles falls under state jurisdiction. Safety experts urge comprehensive regulation and accountability structures before further expansion of autonomous vehicle services.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.