One of Dallas’ robotaxi services is under investigation for a series of crashes between December and March.

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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, per 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 nine-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 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 miles per hour. 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.

“The [automated driving system] performance in these crashes may indicate inappropriate assertiveness and insufficient competence to execute these driving behaviors in a safe manner and may also constitute traffic safety violations,” the investigation summary says. 

The investigation will now evaluate, “the scope, nature and severity of the potential problems and to assess the potential safety risks to passengers and other road users.” Contributing factors, safeguards already in place and mitigating actions taken after will be considered. 

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Avride says it reports all incidents involving its vehicles to the NHTSA, regardless of fault or severity, in accordance with agency rules. It is aware of the investigation and says many of the incidents were precipitated by the actions of other road users. It is unclear why the safety monitors did not intervene. Additionally, Avride says it reviews all incidents and has already implemented targeted technical and operational changes in response to findings from the crashes included in the NHTSA’s investigation.

“We welcome the opportunity to provide the agency with a deeper understanding of our safety protocols and technology. Transparency is a core value of our operations, and we look forward to a constructive dialogue that supports the continued progress of the autonomous vehicle industry,” the company said in a statement. “Our total operations have continued to grow, while the frequency of incidents relative to our mileage has steadily declined. We remain committed to transparency with NHTSA, and other key stakeholders, as we continue to safely scale our operations.

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Waymo, another robotaxi operator in Dallas, is also under investigation by federal agencies for incidents reported elsewhere, as increased scrutiny lands on autonomous vehicles. One investigation comes after a Waymo hit a child near a Santa Monica elementary school, causing minor injuries, and the other after a Waymo was reported to have improperly driven around a stopped school bus in Austin. 

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