What Happens If You Are in a Car Accident With a Robotaxi in Tampa?

What Happens If You Are in a Car Accident With a Robotaxi in Tampa?

Tampa has a new type of vehicle on the road: a driverless one. 

At Hancock Injury Attorneys, our Tampa car accident lawyers have seen firsthand how technology such as pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and other safety systems can help prevent crashes. At the same time, new technology can raise new questions about how vehicles respond to unusual or unexpected situations, particularly driverless ones, like Robotaxis. Determining who is legally responsible for a car accident with a Robotaxi can be more complicated because there may not be a human driver behind the wheel.

Tampa's New Robotaxi Landscape

Two companies are particularly relevant to Tampa's growing autonomous vehicle market: Tesla and Waymo.

• Tesla launched its Robotaxi service in Tampa on July 21, 2026, initially covering portions of downtown Tampa, Ybor City, Tampa Heights, West Tampa, and East Tampa.
• Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company, began mapping Tampa roads and testing its driverless cars with employees only in late 2025, according to Fox 13 News. 

How Do Driverless Cars Operate? 

Driverless vehicles generally use cameras, sensors, artificial intelligence, and other technologies to understand their surroundings and make driving decisions. However, the technology differs between companies.

Waymo uses a combination of LiDAR, a technology that uses laser light to measure distances, cameras, and radar to detect and interpret objects and conditions around its vehicles. Tesla takes a different approach, relying primarily on cameras and AI-based software rather than LiDAR.

These systems are designed to identify vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signals, road markings, and other objects and then determine how the vehicle should respond.

Are Driverless Vehicles Safe?

From the perspective of car accident attorneys in Tampa who have handled cases for clients for over 30 years, we know that technology has been instrumental in reducing accidents, including pedestrian and vehicle detection systems and autobrakes. However, on the flip side, technology has also made the roads less safe, with increased phone use and other tech-related distractions. When it comes to driverless vehicles, we have concerns over unforeseen situations that technology has not caught up to yet. 

The safety of autonomous vehicles continues to be an area of public discussion and regulatory scrutiny. Driverless vehicles are designed to reduce crashes caused by human error, but autonomous systems must also respond to unusual road conditions, construction, temporary traffic patterns, emergency vehicles, and weather conditions.

Tampa presents some particularly relevant driving conditions, including heavy rain, flooding, and rapidly changing road conditions. If an autonomous vehicle fails to respond appropriately to an unusual condition, such as flooding, or experiences a vehicle or system failure that contributes to a crash, investigators may need to determine whether the vehicle, its automated driving system, another driver, or another party was responsible.

Companies such as Waymo and Tesla tout safety as a main reason for driverless vehicles, to reduce human error, but are there enough safeguards in place given how new the technology is?

That concern became particularly relevant in Tampa in July 2026, when a Tesla Robotaxi was recorded traveling the wrong way on a one-way street shortly after the service launched. No collision or injuries were reported, and authorities did not announce an enforcement action related to the incident. 

Local Response to Driverless Vehicles

Enthusiasm for these driverless vehicle programs is mixed. According to reporting in the Tampa Bay Beacons, when asked about driverless vehicles, Mayor Jane Castor said, “We’re excited to welcome new technology that can make transportation safer, more convenient, and more accessible.”

However, Dr. Arman Sargolzaei, a University of South Florida researcher who studies autonomous vehicle technology, in reporting on a wrong-way Tesla Robotaxi incident reported by WFLA, said, “If the sensors are not going to figure out the environment correctly, that’s one of the issues with safety we are going to have.”

Does Florida Require a Human Driver in a Robotaxi?

No. Florida law does not require a licensed human operator to be physically present in a fully autonomous vehicle. Florida Statute §316.85 provides that a fully autonomous vehicle may operate without a human operator physically present and treats the automated driving system as the operator while engaged.

Florida, however, requires autonomous vehicles to comply with applicable traffic and motor vehicle laws. Florida law also requires certain fully autonomous vehicles to be capable of achieving a “minimal risk condition” if the automated driving system fails. 

Who Is Liable for a Robotaxi Accident in Florida?

Liability for a robotaxi accident in Florida depends completely on the circumstances and may involve: 

• The company responsible for the autonomous driving system
• The vehicle owner/operator
• The transportation network or robotaxi company
• Another negligent driver 
• Another party whose actions contributed to the crash

Because there is no human driver to identify as the negligent party, investigating an autonomous vehicle crash can require examining vehicle data, sensor information, video, crash reports, and other evidence to determine what happened immediately before the collision. An experienced car accident attorney will need to investigate how the vehicle was operating, what the autonomous system did before the crash, and whether another person or company contributed to the accident.

According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, police officers and regulators are playing catch-up in ticketing and punishing robo-vehicles. Many don’t know how to navigate unforeseen road hazards, and many have been documented breaking traffic laws. California, for example, has specific requirements addressing how autonomous vehicle manufacturers must interact with law enforcement and other first responders.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident With a Robotaxi?

1. Call 911 and report the crash.
2. Seek medical attention.
3. Photograph the vehicles and scene.
4. Get information about the robotaxi and the company involved.
5. Obtain witness information.
6. Don't assume the lack of a human driver means there is no insurance or responsible party. Under Florida law, insurance requirements apply to fully autonomous vehicles operating as part of an on-demand autonomous vehicle network. 
7. Speak with a personal injury attorney before giving detailed statements to potentially responsible companies or their insurers.

How Can a Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer Help After a Robotaxi Accident?

If you are injured in a crash involving a Tesla Robotaxi, Waymo, or another autonomous vehicle, determining who is responsible may require a more detailed investigation than a typical car accident. The absence of a human driver does not necessarily mean there is no party who can be held responsible for your injuries.

At Hancock Injury Attorneys, our Tampa personal injury lawyers can investigate the circumstances of the crash, identify potentially responsible parties, and help you understand your legal options. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a driverless vehicle, call Hancock Injury Attorneys at 813-915-1110 for a consultation.

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