Robotaxis Aren't Always A Smooth Ride - Here's What Passengers Should Look Out For
Waymo, Zoox and Tesla have all faced challenges.
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Autonomous car manufacturers have long claimed that self-driving vehicles would reduce traffic accidents. Thus far, the stats are largely in their favor. According to a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Google's Waymo robotaxis were involved in roughly 65 percent fewer car crashes than human drivers last year. Waymo's own internal statistics, meanwhile, claim that the autonomous vehicles (AVs) reduce accidents with serious injuries by 94 percent. Some critics are understandably dubious, however, noting that more testing needs to be done before anyone can meaningfully certify these safety gains.
A September 2026 report by TechCrunch adds further fuel to the AV skepticism fire. Using exclusive OSHA data, the publication reported that Waymo and Zoox, the steering wheel-free robotaxi company owned by Amazon, caused dozens of injuries to test drivers while training their autonomous...
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