“Waymo’s driverless cars are involved in fewer crashes than human drivers, but the federal system for monitoring automated vehicles needs improvement, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.
Per vehicle mile traveled (VMT), Waymo’s driverless vehicles deployed in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin were involved in 68% fewer crashes than human drivers, researchers found. The sample was restricted to crashes that a person would typically report to the police.”
From the study: “Overall, 22% of L4 crash involvements were deemed police-reportable or maybe police-reportable, and two thirds of these occurred in driverless operation. L4 vehicles were unlikely to be the striking vehicle or primary contributor to crashes. Waymo L4 vehicles in driverless operation had police-reportable crash involvement rates 68% lower than human drivers in the same areas and years. Waymo’s rate of rear-ending another vehicle was 91% lower; its vehicles’ rate of being rear-ended was 40% lower. These results apply only to the L4 vehicles in driverless operation that were studied.”
