Waymo crashes 1/3 as much as a human driver, says IIHS – with some caveats
2 days ago
- Waymo's autonomous taxis had 68% fewer police-reported crashes per million miles than average human drivers, according to an IIHS study using 2021–2024 data from 50 million Waymo miles.
- Waymo's crashes were generally less severe, less likely to be its fault, and occurred more often in dark conditions despite using radar and LiDAR.
- The study has limitations: Waymo voluntarily reports miles, its operating areas exclude highways and favor low-speed streets, and comparing to average human drivers may not be ideal.
- Waymo's crash rate was slightly higher than humans in Austin, likely due to small sample size; overall, results held across Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
- The data sample is still small compared to human driving (222 billion miles in study areas), so more data is needed for conclusive safety comparisons.