Here’s a shocking revelation that’s bound to rattle the tech and automotive worlds: Tesla’s Robotaxi program is crashing—literally—at a rate three times worse than human drivers, even with a safety monitor on board. Yes, you read that right. Despite having a human overseer in every vehicle, Tesla’s autonomous fleet is struggling to match the safety record of everyday drivers. But here’s where it gets even more unsettling: the data suggests Tesla’s Robotaxis are actually nine times more likely to crash than the average human driver when compared to police-reported incidents. And this is the part most people miss—even when factoring in unreported accidents, humans still outperform Tesla’s Robotaxis by a significant margin.
Let’s dive into the numbers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s Standing General Order crash reports, Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet in Austin, Texas, was involved in nine crashes between July and November 2025. These incidents ranged from collisions with cyclists and animals to rear-end accidents and parking lot mishaps. During this period, the fleet logged approximately 500,000 miles, averaging one crash every 55,000 miles. In contrast, human drivers in the U.S. average one police-reported crash every 500,000 miles. Even when accounting for unreported accidents, humans still manage about 200,000 miles between crashes—a stark difference.
But here’s the real kicker: Tesla’s Robotaxis aren’t operating solo. Each vehicle has a safety monitor whose sole job is to prevent accidents. Yet, despite this human backup, Tesla’s crash rate is nearly an order of magnitude worse than that of regular drivers operating without any assistance. Compare this to Waymo, which runs a fully driverless fleet with no safety monitors and boasts a crash rate well below human averages after logging over 25 million autonomous miles. This raises a bold question: Is Tesla’s approach to autonomous driving fundamentally flawed, or is it just a matter of time before they catch up?
And this is the part most people miss: Tesla’s lack of transparency about these incidents is almost as concerning as the crash rate itself. Every crash narrative in the NHTSA database is redacted with the vague excuse of containing “confidential business information.” We know a Robotaxi hit a cyclist, caused a minor injury, and struck an animal at 27 mph, but we have no details about what actually happened. In contrast, Waymo, Zoox, and other autonomous vehicle (AV) operators provide detailed, transparent accounts of every incident. For example, a Waymo report describes how one of its vehicles stopped to yield to a pedestrian, only to be rear-ended by a human-driven car. This level of accountability is glaringly absent from Tesla’s approach.
Take the recent Waymo incident in Santa Monica, where a child ran into the street and was struck by one of their vehicles. Waymo released all the details, revealing that the child was hidden behind an SUV and ran into the street suddenly. The Waymo vehicle detected the child, applied the brakes, and reduced its speed from 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact. The child was unharmed, and Waymo’s models suggest a human driver would have reacted more slowly and hit the child at twice the speed. This transparency not only builds trust but also highlights the potential life-saving capabilities of autonomous technology—something Tesla’s secrecy undermines.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Is Tesla’s reluctance to share details a sign of technical shortcomings, or are they protecting proprietary information at the expense of public safety? While it’s clear Tesla isn’t responsible for every crash, their secrecy makes it impossible to assess whether they’re learning from these incidents. Without transparency, how can we trust that they’re addressing the root causes of these accidents?
Electrek’s take? There’s a silver lining—Tesla’s crash frequency appears to be improving, with only one incident each in October and November. But let’s be real: a crash every 55,000 miles, with a safety monitor on board, is nowhere near ready for widespread deployment. Tesla needs to drastically improve its safety record and start being honest about what’s happening on Austin’s roads. Right now, they’re failing on both counts.
So, here’s a thought-provoking question for you: Can Tesla’s Robotaxi program ever truly compete with the likes of Waymo if they continue to prioritize secrecy over transparency? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear whether you think Tesla’s approach is a stumbling block or just a temporary setback on the road to autonomous dominance.
