Apple Self-Driving Car in Manual Mode Involved in Minor Collision That Wasn’t Driver’s Fault on October 15

One of Apple's Lexus SUVs outfitted with autonomous driving equipment was involved in a minor car accident on October 15 while being driven in manual mode, and the accident in question does not appear to have been the driver's fault.

According to an incident report filed with the DMV, on Monday, October 15, an Apple test vehicle in manual mode was side swiped while turning left in a dual left turn lane onto Stewart Drive from North Wolfe Road, an area in Sunnyvale, California that's close to the Cupertino company's headquarters.

lexussuvselfdriving2
Both of the vehicles suffered minor damage, but no injuries were reported. The full text of the accident description is below:

On October 15th at 10:28 AM, an Apple test vehicle in manual mode was side swiped while preparing to turn left onto Stewart Drive from North Wolfe Road. The Apple test vehicle was traveling at approximately 5 MPH when a Toyota Camry traveling at approximately 15 MPH crossed out of its lane and contacted the Apple test vehicle. Both vehicles sustained minor damage and no injuries were reported. The police were notified that the driver of the Toyota Camry left without exchanging information.

This is the second time that one of Apple's test vehicles was involved in a minor traffic accident. Back in August, one of the Lexus SUVs Apple uses to test its software was hit by a Nissan Leaf while attempting to merge in autonomous mode.

Apple, like other companies in California testing self-driving vehicle technology, is required to disclose all autonomous vehicle collisions to the California DMV.

Apple has been testing its self-driving software since early 2017 using Lexus RX450h SUVs outfitted with a host of sensors and cameras. All of the vehicles are piloted by a pair of drivers at all times even when in autonomous driving mode.

We don't yet know what Apple plans to do with its self-driving software, but rumors this year have suggested the company is once again exploring the possibility of a full Apple-branded vehicle that could come out between 2023 and 2025.

Apple is also developing a self-driving shuttle service called "PAIL," or "Palo Alto to Infinite Loop," which is designed to transport Apple employees between the company's offices across Silicon Valley.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...

Top Rated Comments

techno96 Avatar
88 months ago
How is this news? Who cares? It wasn't even in autonomous mode and the driver of the test car wasn't at fault.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
88 months ago
Ironically if people’s driving tests had this level of scrutiny, there’d probably be a lot less accidents in the first place.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moonlight Avatar
88 months ago
We need self driving cars. They will dramatically lessen auto deaths and injuries and open our clogged roadways again with smart driving. All this story does is play into our fears of computer driving and will make self driving cars harder to populate the road with. We need POSITIVE stories about self driving cars, and statistics on HUMAN accidents and auto deaths.


Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled.

This will go WAY DOWN with self driving cars.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
88 months ago
So Apple wasn’t at fault and the car at fault fled the scene.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mspangler49 Avatar
88 months ago
hmmm... hit a vehicle with like 20 cameras on it and not stop. I wonder if there is video of the other car? Is it okay in California to leave the scene of an accident?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Breaking Good Avatar
88 months ago
We need self driving cars. They will dramatically lessen auto deaths and injuries and open our clogged roadways again with smart driving. All this story does is play into our fears of computer driving and will make self driving cars harder to populate the road with. We need POSITIVE stories about self driving cars, and statistics on HUMAN accidents and auto deaths.


Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled.

This will go WAY DOWN with self driving cars.
I wish I could triple thumbs up this.

There are going to be risks as we move to autonomous vehicles. These risks shouldn't be dismissed or downplayed. They should be identified, discussed and plans to mitigate them should be put into place.

However, these risks need to be viewed in the larger context of the potential for lives saved and the possibilities of reductions on carbon emissions as driving becomes more efficient and electric vehicles become more practical.

Self driving cars needs to happen and the sooner it happens the better we will be as a society.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)