Updated and source-checked on February 27, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions About Autonomous Vehicles
These answers focus on verifiable 2025-2026 evidence from regulators, operators, and public disclosures. Every answer includes direct source links.
Where can you ride a U.S. driverless robotaxi right now?
Waymo reports active rider service in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. It also says it plans launches in Atlanta and Miami and expansion to Washington, D.C. in 2026.
Are steering-wheel-free autonomous vehicles legal in the U.S. in 2026?
They can be legal under federal exemption pathways. NHTSA said in June 2025 it streamlined the Part 555 process and reiterated that up to 2,500 noncompliant vehicles per year can be exempted under current law when standards are met.
What is the latest U.S. baseline for overall road safety?
NHTSA estimated 17,140 traffic deaths in the first half of 2025, an 8.2% drop from the same period in 2024. AV safety claims should be interpreted against this broader national trend.
How should I read AV incident statistics published in the U.S.?
Use the data carefully. NHTSA says SGO reports are event-based and not normalized by exposure, and they include both ADS and qualifying ADAS events under specific reporting rules.
How much AV testing happened in California most recently?
California DMV reported more than 9 million autonomous-vehicle test miles for the December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025 reporting period.
Is there public evidence that commercial driverless systems are reducing crash injuries?
Waymo reports 127 million rider-only miles through September 2025 and 81% fewer injury-causing crashes relative to its matched human benchmark. This is one of the largest publicly available U.S. driverless safety datasets.
What do we know about commercial driverless trucking scale?
Aurora launched commercial driverless trucking in Texas in May 2025 and reported over 250,000 driverless miles in January 2026 in its SEC-filed shareholder letter.
Do most U.S. drivers trust self-driving cars yet?
No. AAA reported in February 2025 that only 13% of U.S. drivers said they trust self-driving vehicles, while 6 in 10 said they are afraid to ride in one.
Schema freshness date: 2026-02-27