Waymo, the autonomous vehicle division of Alphabet Inc., has asserted that its self-driving cars are statistically safer than human drivers. According to data covering over six years, from 2018 through July 31, 2024, Waymo’s vehicles have logged 25.3 million driverless miles across four cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. During this period, the company reported nine property damage insurance claims and two bodily injury claims.
In comparison, human drivers in the United States have a higher rate of accidents. A study published in September 2023 found that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles incurred zero bodily injury claims per million miles driven, while human drivers had a rate of 1.11 claims per million miles. Additionally, the same study reported that Waymo’s vehicles had 0.78 property damage claims per million miles, compared to 3.26 claims per million miles for human drivers.
These findings suggest that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have a significantly lower rate of accidents resulting in property damage and bodily injury compared to human-driven vehicles. However, it’s important to note that these statistics are based on data from Waymo’s operations and may not fully represent the broader performance of autonomous vehicles across different manufacturers and operating conditions.
