Driverless Car Incidents Rise as Autonomous Fleets Expand in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is witnessing a surge in accidents involving driverless cars as more autonomous vehicles take to the streets. The increase in incidents, primarily minor, is linked to the growing presence of robotaxis from companies like Mountain View’s Waymo.
Waymo’s accident figures in Los Angeles County tripled last year, although the vast majority of these were minor fender benders, according to a review by the Times of autonomous vehicle accident data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla’s Cybercab are also testing in the area, with further expansion anticipated.
Matthew Raifman, an autonomous vehicle researcher at UC Berkeley, notes that California remains a significant testing ground for robotaxi technology. “As a testing bed place in California, we are taking on a lot of that trial and error,” he explained. “I wish it wasn’t a robotaxi race, even though it is. I hope it’s a slow stroll towards safe mobility.”
California is not alone in testing these technologies. Tesla recently announced extended robotaxi operating hours in Austin, Texas, emphasizing the challenge of ensuring pet safety at night. “The main thing we’re trying to solve is making sure that we don’t run over pets when they’re hard to see at night,” Elon Musk shared in a post on X.
High-profile incidents involving Waymo vehicles have captured public attention. In January, a multi-vehicle collision in San Francisco involving an empty Waymo resulted in one fatality, marking the first time an unmanned autonomous vehicle was part of a deadly crash. Although Waymo was not at fault, the incident sparked safety concerns and media coverage.
Data from the California Autonomous Vehicle Crash Dashboard shows a rise in Waymo-related incidents in Los Angeles County, with 186 crashes this year alone, up from 219 in 2025 and 69 in 2024. Most incidents involved passenger vehicles, and many occurred while the Waymo was stationary.
Government reports provide limited details but indicate that over 80% of these incidents resulted in no apparent injuries. The accidents per mile driven have improved, with Waymo reporting a significant reduction in crash rates over time.
Despite the increase in numbers, the data suggests that driverless vehicles might be safer than human drivers, particularly in controlled environments. Waymo, for instance, reported zero serious or fatal injuries over 67 million miles driven in Los Angeles, compared to what might be expected with human drivers.
However, experts caution that the data might not fully reflect broader conditions, as autonomous vehicles are currently limited to specific environments and weather conditions. Different companies employ varying technologies, such as lidar, which further complicates comparisons.
The expansion of autonomous vehicles has prompted cities to seek greater control over their deployment. San Diego’s City Council, among others, has requested more authority over robotaxi operations within their jurisdictions.
Original Story at www.latimes.com