A Waymo robotaxi has made the news again after it stopped inside a railway crossing in Texas, missing the train by a few inches. A YouTube Short shows the huge safety breach by the driverless vehicle. The report arrives days after it blocked the path of an ambulance responding to a mass shooting emergency in Austin.
The video highlights how the robotaxi stopped between a railroad crossing arm and the tracks. When a train passed by, it remained parked dangerously close to it. Fortunately, the autonomous car stood its ground during the tense moment.
Waymo confirmed that there was no passenger in the car; however, several lives were put at risk as a collision with the train could have led to a big incident. Although robotaxis frequently use that road, this is the first time it has come so close to a train.
ABC News reported Waymo’s statement that “self-driving cars are safer than human drivers,” despite recent incidents making headlines.
MotorBiscuit recently reported the incident where a Waymo robotaxi blocked the path of an ambulance during a mass shooting emergency on West Sixth Street in Austin. The ambulance had to take an alternate route to reach the crime scene, while a police officer cleared the road by taking manual control of the autonomous vehicle.
Despite these high-profile incidents causing public alarm, the overall numbers suggest that autonomous vehicles are still statistically safer than human drivers.
According to NHTSA crash data, Waymo vehicles were involved in 462 reported incidents in 2024, and 733 incidents through mid-November of 2025. While the total number of collisions has increased alongside the rapid expansion of Waymo’s fleet and testing areas, the vast majority of these encounters resulted in minor or no injuries.
In fact, recent data analyses show that Waymo’s driverless cars have reduced serious-injury crashes by approximately 90% compared to traditional human-driven vehicles navigating those same roads.
