An independent study highlighted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that Waymo’s autonomous robotaxis were involved in far fewer crashes than human drivers on average. Based on the figures cited, Waymo vehicles crashed about 68% less often, and the collisions they were involved in also tended to be less severe.
The findings add to the broader debate over self-driving car safety, especially as robotaxi services expand into more cities. For Waymo, the results offer outside support for its claim that autonomous driving systems can reduce real-world crash risk compared with typical human driving.
At the same time, the study was presented with important caveats. Comparisons between a robotaxi fleet and the full range of human driving are not always straightforward, and the results should be read in that context rather than as a universal verdict on all autonomous vehicles.
The report also did not examine Tesla, so the conclusions apply to Waymo’s operation rather than the entire self-driving sector. Even so, the study suggests Waymo’s current robotaxi service is performing better than average human drivers on crash frequency, while still leaving room for careful interpretation of the data.
