Self-driving car 'steamrolls' over beloved local duck as furious locals call for robotaxis to be banned

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:41, 6 April 2026 | Updated: 21:49, 6 April 2026 A self-driving car struck and killed a beloved duck near a park in Texas, furious residents say. One witness wrote in a local Facebook group that they watched an Avride vehicle drive over the aquatic bird as it rested near Mueller Lake Park in Austin earlier this week, KXAN reported. 'I saw an Avride self-driving car, with a person in the driver's seat not touching the wheel, run over and kill a duck near the park,' the witness wrote. 'It didn't slow down or hesitate at all, just steamrolled right through, and the person inside did not stop to see what happened, just kept on driving.' The witness added that they saw the car run through a stop sign and almost hit their vehicle before hitting the duck, which appeared to be lying near a nest of eggs when it was killed.  A community member commented on the post, 'This makes me so sick. Wish we could get them banned from Mueller. 'That's not the first time an autonomous car killed one of the ducks here.'  Avride said that it is investigating the incident and has adjusted its operations in the area.  A beloved duck (pictured) was allegedly hit and killed by a self-driving car in Austin, Texas A witness claimed that they saw the Avride vehicle (stock image pictured) run through a stop sign and almost hit their vehicle before striking the duck who appeared to be lying near a nest of eggs when it was killed 'Avride takes safety very seriously. As a precaution, we have adjusted testing routes and provided additional training and guidance to safety personnel as part of our standard procedures,' Yulia Shveyko, Avride's head of communications, told the Daily Mail. 'We are also actively evaluating technological measures to further enhance safety.' The company told the local news station it has excluded roads around the lake from testing operations, but denied the allegation that the car did not stop at a stop sign. 'The vehicle came to complete and appropriate stops at all relevant stop signs,' Shveyko said. 'We will, however, continue to carefully analyze all related data to ensure a full understanding of the situation.' Mueller Lake Park, just a few miles outside of downtown Austin,  is home to a 6.5-acre lake, open air amphitheater and stage, interactive playscape, picnic peninsula, loop trail, jogger stretching area and public art. Avride, which is based in Austin, has been developing self-driving cars since 2017 and started testing it's vehicles in the city last summer, KVUE reported. The incident sparked outrage from locals who called for autonomous cars and robotaxis to be banned.  The bird was resting Mueller Lake Park, just a few miles outside of downtown Austin, which has a 6.5-acre lake, when it was struck The duck's death comes just months after a beloved tabby cat died after being run over by a self-driving Waymo car in San Francisco in October 'Anything self driving needs to be outlawed. They don't even stop for school busses,' one person wrote on Facebook.  'Ridiculous. Take them off the road,' added another.  A third person wrote, 'The tech that no one asked for strikes again. And again. And again. And...' The duck's death comes just months after a beloved tabby cat died after being run over by a self-driving Waymo car in San Francisco in October. KitKat, a nine-year-old feline, was well-known across San Francisco as the pet who 'patrolled' the Randa's Market corner store on 16th Street.  The cat was hit by the Waymo robotaxi around 11.30pm on October 27, Mike Zeidan, the cat and shop's owner, said to the San Francisco Standard. The feline was found underneath the car and was rushed to an animal hospital by an employee, where he was pronounced dead. An anonymous complaint alleged the Waymo robotaxi did not slow down, swerve or try to avoid KitKat.  Waymo told the Daily Mail: 'The trust and the safety of the communities we serve is our highest priority. 'We reviewed this, and while our vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers, a nearby cat darted under our vehicle as it was pulling away.' The company added: 'We send our deepest sympathies to the cat's owner and the community who knew and loved him, and we will be making a donation to a local animal rights organization in his honor.' The comments below have not been moderated. 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