Austin Robotaxis Keep Getting in the Way of First Responders. The City Can't Do Much.
Brett Schreiber, Founding Partner of Singleton Schreiber, was featured in the Austin American-Statesman article, “As Robotaxis Expand in Austin, Challenges with First Responders Highlight Limits of Local Control,” published on July 21, 2026.
In the article, Schreiber discussed safety concerns surrounding autonomous vehicle technology based on his representation of first responders injured in a 2021 collision involving a Tesla operating on Autopilot near Houston. His comments focused on whether automated driving systems can reliably identify and respond to emergency vehicles and first responders.
The article examines increasing scrutiny of autonomous vehicle operators following incidents in which robotaxis allegedly interfered with emergency response efforts, blocked traffic, or failed to recognize emergency signals. The report also explores broader questions surrounding autonomous vehicle safety and oversight as robotaxi services continue to expand in Austin.
"What we see in these cases, which is just terrifying, especially if you are a first responder on the road, is that those vehicles relied on the camera-radar fusion," said Schreiber. "And what we are seeing happen in every one of these (crashes) is because the camera couldn't differentiate the flashing light. It either saw it as totally over-saturated or totally dark, and it couldn't make the assumption the human eye sees and then goes, 'danger.'"
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