One of Dallas’ robotaxi services is under investigation for a series of crashes between December and March.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced May 6 it is investigating Austin-based Avride, Uber’s autonomous rideshare partner in Dallas, because of 16 crashes in Austin and Dallas related to “executing lane changes into other vehicles and failing to avoid vehicles or objects in the roadway,” according to the report. At least nine of the 16 crashes included in the investigation took place in Dallas, according to records.
Uber began offering autonomous vehicle rides in Dallas through its partnership with Avride in December, though the vehicles have safety operators in the driver’s seat. The robotaxi fleet is integrated with the rest of Uber, meaning they do not need to be specifically requested in the Uber app. At launch, the robotaxis served a 9-square-mile region encompassing downtown, Uptown, Turtle Creek, and Deep Ellum.
The Avride crashes being investigated have caused property damage and one alleged minor injury, and they took place while the vehicles were being piloted by Avride’s automated driving system, despite the presence of the safety operators, according to the report. Incident data indicates most crashes took place at speeds below 20 mph. The alleged injury was not reported at the scene of the crash, according to records, but was later reported by the affected party’s insurance company and did not require hospitalization.