Preston Hollow and Park Cities residents have shared the roads with autonomous vehicles this year. But some reports suggest that mistakes can happen with technology behind the wheel.
Ride-hailing services with autonomous vehicle technology operating in Dallas include Avride from Uber, Tesla’s Robotaxi, and Waymo, though a human is in the driver’s seat to supervise Avride vehicles. An Amazon subsidary, Zoox, announced in March that it also plans to serve the area.
A Waymo garnered headlines around the state this May when it was caught on dashcam video allegedly running a red light at the intersection of Irving Boulevard and Inwood Road.
A Waymo spokesperson noted that the service provides about 500,000 driverless trips across the country each week, is “committed to rolling out this technology responsibly and (has) systems in place to monitor and adjust our operations accordingly.”
In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began a preliminary investigation after receiving reports of crashes in Dallas and Austin that occurred while the Avride automated driving system was engaged, even though a human was supervising the technology from behind the wheel.
According to the NHTSA, during each crash the vehicles were either changing lanes or responding to other vehicles or objects in the lane ahead. The crashes involved property damage and one alleged minor injury.
“The (automated driving system’s) 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,” NHTSA added.
Avride acknowledged the preliminary investigation in a statement and said it reports incidents involving its vehicles to the NHTSA for transparency. The company continued that it has made changes to address incidents reported between Dec. 2025 and March 2026.
“We look forward to a constructive dialogue that supports the continued progress of the autonomous vehicle industry,” an Avride spokesperson said. “As part of our standard safety protocol, every incident undergoes a structured review that includes identifying and evaluating root causes.”
Highland Park Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Lance Koppa said staff have been trained on how to interact with the vehicles and who to contact when they encounter bumps in the road.
Koppa said his department was called Jan. 14 to Byron Avenue near Armstrong Elementary School regarding an autonomous vehicle that appeared to be stalled. He said law enforcement was able to communicate with the company and resolve the issue.
Another driverless vehicle without a passenger made an improper turn in Highland Park on Feb. 9, Koppa said. An officer alerted a representative of the company and issued a verbal warning.
A third autonomous vehicle stopped in the 4100 block of Mockingbird Lane with flashers activated on March 27. An officer used the driverless vehicle’s speaker system to inform the company, and the vehicle moved on.
A spokesperson for the University Park Police Department said the department hasn’t yet received reports of any issues regarding autonomous vehicles.
“The department continues to monitor these vehicles closely and will respond as needed should any concerns arise,” a UPPD spokesperson added.
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