Self-Driving Car Kills Duck in Austin, Sparks Backlash

An Avride autonomous vehicle struck and killed a mother duck near Mueller Lake Park in Austin, Texas, last week, igniting frustration among residents in the Mueller neighborhood who viewed the bird as a local fixture.

The incident occurred as the vehicle, equipped with a human safety operator who was not touching the wheel, operated in autonomous mode and continued without stopping after the collision.

A witness described the event in a post to the Mueller neighborhood Facebook group, writing that the car “didn’t slow down or hesitate at all, just steamrolled through” and that the safety driver inside did not stop to check what had happened.

The duck had been nesting in a pot outside a local Italian eatery by the park, a spot familiar to many in the community who considered her something of a local legend.

Residents later collected and began incubating her eggs.

Avride, which is testing autonomous vehicles in Austin, confirmed the wildlife collision and launched an internal review.

Spokesperson Yulia Shveyko said in a statement that the company takes safety seriously and is examining vehicle data, including replaying the scene in simulation to identify potential improvements for detecting similar obstacles.

“The trust and safety of the communities where we operate is our highest priority,” Shveyko added. “We are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the reported incident, including wildlife collision, and reviewing the available data.”

As a precaution during the review, Avride has temporarily excluded certain streets around the lake from its testing operations while it evaluates technological adjustments.

The company also stated that its review found no evidence the vehicle failed to stop at relevant stop signs, countering one element of the witness account.

The episode has amplified long-standing questions in the Mueller area about autonomous vehicle testing in residential and park settings that include families, trails, playgrounds, and an amphitheater.

Other companies, including Zoox, Waymo in partnership with Uber, and Tesla, also operate or test autonomous vehicles in parts of Austin, but the duck incident has focused attention on Avride’s supervised testing runs in this specific enclave.

Avride continues to analyze the data and run controlled simulations to refine its systems without compromising performance in other driving scenarios.

The company has engaged with the community on the feedback, though no further details on the timeline for resuming full operations in the excluded area have been released.

News source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtAUVnT6lzQ