Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have fewer crashes than human drivers.
Waymo’s latest self-reported data reinforces its claim that its autonomous vehicles are safer than human drivers. As discussions around the safety and economic implications of self-driving cars continue, Waymo aims to use this data to garner more support, despite some experts arguing that it doesn’t account for non-crash traffic disruptions caused by its robotaxis.
The company analyzed 271 million driverless miles across five cities up to the end of June, which is an increase of 50 million miles since its last safety report. This mileage, spanning Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco-Bay Area, is equivalent to over “300 human lifetimes behind the wheel,” based on the assumption that an average person drives about 850,000 miles in their lifetime. Waymo plans to update its online safety hub to include these new figures.
While Waymo’s mileage sounds impressive, it still pales in comparison to the 3 trillion miles driven by humans in the U.S. each year, highlighting a significant gap when comparing robot-driven vehicles to human drivers.
From its data analysis, Waymo reported:
* An 82 percent reduction in injury-causing crashes compared to human drivers
* A 95 percent decrease in crashes resulting in serious injuries or fatalities
* A 93 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes that lead to injuries
* An 86 percent decrease in cyclist crashes resulting in injuries
* An 82 percent reduction in motorcycle crashes causing injuries
Although Waymo’s data is limited to five cities, the company operates nearly 4,000 vehicles across more than 10 U.S. cities, logging about two million driverless miles weekly and providing over 500,000 paid rides each week. However, major cities like New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., remain hesitant to allow Waymo to expand, citing concerns over traffic disruptions and potential job losses. Waymo hopes that by demonstrating its technology’s ability to significantly reduce injuries and fatalities, it can sway the opinions of skeptical officials.
A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety supports Waymo’s claims, indicating that per vehicle mile traveled, Waymo’s driverless cars were involved in 68 percent fewer crashes than human drivers. However, researchers cautioned that the current data collection methods are insufficient for ongoing monitoring of large-scale expansion, as noted by IIHS President David Harkey.
There are valid concerns about relying solely on Waymo’s self-reported data to evaluate the safety of its autonomous vehicles. Experts from institutions like Johns Hopkins University highlight that the lack of standardized guidelines across the industry complicates direct comparisons of data.
Critics also argue that comparing high-tech, sensor-equipped robotaxis to average human-driven vehicles—often older models or those operated by distracted drivers—primarily demonstrates the effectiveness of advanced emergency braking and sensors, rather than proving the superiority of autonomous software. Safety experts, including Carnegie Mellon’s Phil Koopman, suggest that aggregate safety dashboards like Waymo’s can serve as corporate public relations tools, potentially downplaying real-world edge cases, traffic jams, and minor incidents.
In addition to its self-reported data, Waymo is mandated to report crashes—defined as any physical contact with another vehicle, person, or property—to the federal government under a 2021 general order. According to this data, Waymo’s vehicles were involved in 797 crashes across all cities from March to September 2026, with one reported fatality involving a pedestrian in Dallas who was struck by a human driver and subsequently collided with a Waymo vehicle.
