Waymo, a leading self-driving taxi company, has released data asserting the superior safety of its autonomous vehicles compared to human-driven ones. The analysis, covering over 7.14 million miles of fully autonomous journeys in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, claims an 85% reduction in crash injuries, equivalent to a 6.8 times lower crash rate, for vehicles equipped with Waymo Driver technology. The study also indicates a 57% reduction in police-reported crashes.
According to Waymo, the analysis suggests 17 fewer injuries and 20 fewer police-reported crashes over the 7.1 million miles driven, compared to human drivers with a benchmark crash rate covering the same distance in the operating areas.
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The publication of this research comes amidst challenges facing the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry, particularly self-driving taxis, with Waymo’s key rival, Cruise, suspending operations and facing a $1.5 million fine over concerns of evidence withholding following an October incident involving a pedestrian.
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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) commended Waymo’s effort to evaluate autonomous driving system safety, describing the results as encouraging and representing a positive step in understanding AV safety.
While recognizing the difficulties in assessing AV safety, including the absence of a single metric and under-reporting of human crash data, Waymo emphasized adjustments made in the analysis to account for these factors. The company made all the data used in the research publicly available, supporting third-party research initiatives.
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Waymo reiterated its commitment to responsible road behavior, avoiding unnecessary traffic or confusion, a point that has gained significance amid criticisms of Cruise’s operations in San Francisco. Additionally, Waymo called for international standardization of AV crash data.
