The Brief
- While Texans support the idea of self-driving vehicles, many want stronger safety standards and accountability for the companies that put them on the road.
- A majority of those polled want to see requirements for self-driving vehicles to report all collisions to government agencies and fine companies when technology malfunctions.
- Under Senate Bill 2807, passed in 2025, automated vehicles must receive authorization from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before putting those vehicles into service.
Texans support the idea of self-driving vehicles, but want stronger safety standards and accountability from the companies that put them on the road, according to a new poll.
The poll by Safe Autonomous Vehicles Everywhere in the United States, shows that while a vast majority of people in Austin, Dallas and Houston know about autonomous vehicles, most do not believe they are safe. Of those polled, 36% in Austin consider the vehicles safe. That number drops to 25% in Dallas and 22% in Houston.
When asked, 80-83% of those polled support requiring autonomous vehicle companies to report all collisions to government agencies, while 72-79% support mandatory fines for those companies when autonomous vehicle technology malfunctions.…