--- title: "Disturbing Test Shows What Happens When Tesla Robotaxi Sees a Child Mannequin Pop Out From Behind a School Bus" description: "In a live demonstration in Austin, a recent media stunt showed that \"self-driving\" Tesla robotaxis can run down children in cold blood." date: "2025-06-17" modified: "2025-06-17" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/tesla-robotaxi-child-bus" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "full self-driving" - "robotaxi" - "tesla" --- # Disturbing Test Shows What Happens When Tesla Robotaxi Sees a Child Mannequin Pop Out From Behind a School Bus ![In a live demonstration in Austin, a recent media stunt showed that "self-driving" Tesla robotaxis can run down children in cold blood.]() *\Image: Dawn Project\* After promising self-driving robotaxis for [more than a decade](), it's probably no surprise that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has [blown way past]() his promised rollout date of June 12. Now scheduled to formally roll out on the streets in Austin, Texas on either June 22 or 28 — not even Musk [seems to know]() at this point — the tech billionaire's self-driving charade is running seriously behind. As [consumer interest]() in Tesla continues to plummet, one [generational hater]() is showing just how far Musk's [last ditch effort]() to save Tesla is really lagging. In a [live demonstration]() on public roads in Austin, a recent media stunt showed that "self-driving" Tesla robotaxis make no qualms about running down children in cold blood. The demonstration, sponsored by the Dawn Project — a watchdog group founded by Musk's fellow billionaire and longtime [Pentagon contractor]() Dan O'Dowd — showed what happens when a Tesla running on current-gen self-driving software comes up on a stopped school bus. Making no attempt to slow down, the Tesla model Y barrels past the bus and its blinking stop light. When a child mannequin darts across the road, the EV plows right through it, taking a full car's length to come to a complete stop. "What it shows is a full self-driving Tesla will not stop at a bus, and if a kid steps out, it will mow them down," O'Dowd told *Futurism*. Despite a two-year campaign by the Dawn Project to highlight the school bus issue — which included a full-page in the *New York Times* and a [Superbowl commercial]() — O'Dowd says lawmakers, not to mention Tesla itself, have done nothing to fix the issue. Sadly, that inaction has already had real consequences. In North Carolina in 2023, for example, a [student was struck]() while exiting a school bus by a self-driving Tesla, and had to be airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. "What's happened since? Tesla has not fixed the bug," O'Dowd said. "And still the government hasn't forced a recall." For O'Dowd and the Dawn Project, Tesla is unique among carmakers adding self-driving features to their vehicles. Asked about the Dawn Project's stance on Waymo — which has its own history of [dangerous traffic maneuvers]() — O'Dowd says "Waymo gets the job done." "They actually can do ten million rides and not kill anybody," he notes. "Tesla can't do any self-driving and it's killed a lot of people. So that's my question, how many people have they killed? How many people have they injured?" (As a point of fact, Waymo vehicles have been involved in a total of [696 accidents]() since 2021, with one [Waymo-involved fatality]() recorded so far. Teslas, for comparison, have notched well over [2,146 incidents](), with [553 Tesla-involved fatalities]().) While the writing might be on the wall for Tesla, O'Dowd continues to pour resources into raising awareness about the dangers Musk's vehicles pose to civilians, partnering with movements like the nationwide [Tesla Takedown]() initiative. Despite the obvious, O'Dowd says it's not over 'til it's over. "I've never been willing to go out there and short Tesla," the billionaire told us. "It's too risky. The guy's too good at making up stories to convince people he can make a bunch of money." *Updated to clarify that Waymo has been involved in 696 accidents, not that it caused all of them.* **More on Tesla:** [*Terrifying Footage Shows Self-Driving Tesla Get Confused by the Sun, Mow Down Innocent Grandmother*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()