Data shows driverless taxis in Houston are safe, but questions remain over their regulation

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Autonomous vehicles from different companies have been fully operational in Houston for much of this year, and statistics show they've largely done so without any incidents.

Data acquired by the ABC News Data Team shows there were just 21 crashes involving the vehicles in Houston from September 2025 through August 2026.

Based on that data, any injuries sustained by passengers in those crashes were minor.

The news comes on the heels of Tesla's announcement that it is expanding its Robotaxi service across the City of Houston.

ABC13 asked Mayor John Whitmire's Office for comment on the current state of the vehicles in Houston.

"We monitor them very carefully, but we have no authority to regulate," Whitmire said about autonomous cars.

Eyewitness News reported earlier this year that a state law requires autonomous vehicles to be registered with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

It went into effect in late May and requires carriers to follow certain mandates.

It also gives the state the ability to remove a carrier's registration if necessary.

ABC13 asked the agency for numbers related to the first five months of the law being in effect, but was told to submit a public-records request. That request has been submitted.

While regulating autonomous vehicles is a state responsibility, the City of Austin provides its citizens with an online dashboard showing incidents involving the vehicles.

ABC13 asked Whitmire's office whether that could happen in Houston, but we only received the statement above.