Waymo Robotaxis Crash 68% Less Over 50 Million Miles, IIHS Flags Data Limits
Updated
Updated · Electrek · Jul 25
Waymo Robotaxis Crash 68% Less Over 50 Million Miles, IIHS Flags Data Limits
3 articles · Updated · Electrek · Jul 25
Summary
IIHS found Waymo’s driverless taxis logged 1.28 police-reportable crashes per million miles versus 4.06 for human drivers, based on 50 million autonomous miles from 2021 to 2024.
The study also said Waymo crashes were generally less severe and often not the robotaxi’s fault, with results holding in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Austin was the exception, where Waymo’s crash rate ran slightly above humans, a result IIHS linked partly to a small testing-era sample before public service launched there.
Key caveats could skew the comparison: companies must report crashes but not autonomous miles, Waymo drives mostly lower-speed urban streets, and nearly half its miles had no passenger in the car.
IIHS said the dataset remains thin despite Waymo’s lead in robotaxi mileage, leaving open questions such as its higher share of crashes in dark conditions and how AVs compare with optimal human driving rather than the average driver.