Tesla's Robotaxi service has its first reported 'safety concern'
Austin reported a "safety concern" with a Tesla Robotaxi.
The incident occurred on East Oltorf Street, according to the city's autonomous vehicle incident dashboard.
Tesla's Robotaxi service began on June 22, with 10 to 20 vehicles and safety monitors.
Austin reported its first incident with a Tesla Robotaxi service, according to the city's autonomous vehicle incident dashboard.
The safety concern was reported to have occurred on June 22, the same day Tesla launched the service. It took place on East Oltorf Street in downtown Austin, according to the dashboard.
According to the transportation department, the safety concern was reported by Edward Niedermeyer, who has previously been critical of Tesla.
Niedermeyer shared a YouTube video that he said showed a Tesla vehicle braking "hard twice for stationary police vehicles outside its driving path."
Niedermeyer and a spokesperson for Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The dashboard tracks safety concerns and issues, such as collisions or near misses, involving autonomous vehicles in the city. The dashboard also shows incidents with other self-driving companies, including Waymo and Zoox.
It has detailed 120 incidents over the past two years and 45 in 2025.Austin's dashboard relies on reports from city departments and its 311 service rather than direct monitoring. The city says the data is unvalidated and may miss incidents citywide.
A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously told Business Insider that the agency was in contact with Tesla regarding the company's autonomous vehicles.
Tesla launched its robotaxi service to a select group of users. Elon Musk has said the launch would begin with between 10 to 20 robotaxis.
Currently, robotaxi rides include a safety monitor who sits in the passenger seat and remote operators who can intervene when needed, according to videos of Tesla's robotaxi service posted online.
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