"Waymo says its vehicles are involved in: 92 percent fewer crashes causing serious injuries or worse, 83 percent fewer crashes triggering an airbag deployment, and 82 percent fewer crashes involving any injury at all. At its current scale of approximately 3,000 vehicles across 10 cities, driving over 4 million miles per week, it theoretically is preventing approximately one serious-injury crash every 8 days."
"As of December 2025, Waymo's fleet has driven the equivalent of 200 lifetimes of driving, assuming every human drives the equivalent of 850,000 miles in their lifetime. But unlike those pesky humans, the Waymo Driver - which is what the company calls the combination of AI, software, and various sensors that enable its vehicles to drive autonomously - is much better at avoiding serious crashes and injuries."
"There are still incidents, including a recent one in which a Waymo vehicle struck a child outside a school in Santa Monica. The robotaxi was traveling about 17mph when it braked and struck the child near the front-right headlight, according to a preliminary investigation. Waymo said its vehicle slowed to approximately 6mph right before striking the child, who reported only minor injuries."
Waymo reports its autonomous vehicle fleet has completed over 170 million miles of driving, equivalent to 200 human lifetimes of driving experience. The company's vehicles demonstrate significantly safer performance than human drivers, with 92% fewer crashes causing serious injuries, 83% fewer airbag-deployment crashes, and 82% fewer injury-involved crashes. Operating approximately 3,000 vehicles across 10 cities and driving over 4 million miles weekly, Waymo estimates it prevents approximately one serious-injury crash every 8 days. However, incidents persist, including a recent collision with a child in Santa Monica and school bus interaction issues in Austin, both under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Read at The Verge
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