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Waymo is expanding its fleet of autonomous vehicles to more urban locations, and a recent study suggests that this initiative could lead to a decrease in road accidents. Conducted as part of a collaborative effort between Waymo and the reinsurer Swiss Re, the research indicated that Waymo’s vehicles lead to fewer insurance claims compared to traditional human-operated vehicles.
Swiss Re analyzed liability claims stemming from over 25.3 million miles driven by Waymo’s self-driving cars. The study also contrasted this data against a baseline from more than 500,000 claims related to human drivers, amounting to over 200 billion miles of driving. The findings revealed that the Waymo Driver showcased improved safety performance in comparison to vehicles driven by humans.
Specifically, it was found that vehicles powered by Waymo’s technology experienced 88 percent fewer property damage claims and 92 percent fewer bodily injury claims. Swiss Re introduced a new metric to compare the safety of Waymo Driver specifically against newer vehicles featuring modern safety technologies, such as driver assistance systems, emergency braking, and blind-spot warnings, rather than contrasting it with the entire pool of those 200 billion driving miles. Even using this more discerning metric, Waymo still showed significant advantages, with an 86 percent reduction in property damage claims and a 90 percent decrease in bodily injury claims.
However, two major concerns remain. First, Waymo currently operates only in urban areas, which constitute a large portion of accidents in the U.S., yet rural areas statistically report a higher incidence of crashes, particularly fatal ones, relative to their population. The study noted that integrating data from less urbanized areas might actually hinder the perceived safety effectiveness of Waymo. Secondly, the relatively short operational history of Waymo complicates efforts to accurately assess its long-term safety performance.
While the findings from the study favor Waymo Driver, they are not without flaws. Earlier this summer, Waymo issued its second recall after one of its self-driving taxis collided with a street-level telephone pole in Phoenix at a speed of 8 mph. Following this incident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into the company, uncovering 24 instances involving collisions or traffic infractions.
Swiss Re analyzed liability claims stemming from over 25.3 million miles driven by Waymo’s self-driving cars. The study also contrasted this data against a baseline from more than 500,000 claims related to human drivers, amounting to over 200 billion miles of driving. The findings revealed that the Waymo Driver showcased improved safety performance in comparison to vehicles driven by humans.
Specifically, it was found that vehicles powered by Waymo’s technology experienced 88 percent fewer property damage claims and 92 percent fewer bodily injury claims. Swiss Re introduced a new metric to compare the safety of Waymo Driver specifically against newer vehicles featuring modern safety technologies, such as driver assistance systems, emergency braking, and blind-spot warnings, rather than contrasting it with the entire pool of those 200 billion driving miles. Even using this more discerning metric, Waymo still showed significant advantages, with an 86 percent reduction in property damage claims and a 90 percent decrease in bodily injury claims.
However, two major concerns remain. First, Waymo currently operates only in urban areas, which constitute a large portion of accidents in the U.S., yet rural areas statistically report a higher incidence of crashes, particularly fatal ones, relative to their population. The study noted that integrating data from less urbanized areas might actually hinder the perceived safety effectiveness of Waymo. Secondly, the relatively short operational history of Waymo complicates efforts to accurately assess its long-term safety performance.
While the findings from the study favor Waymo Driver, they are not without flaws. Earlier this summer, Waymo issued its second recall after one of its self-driving taxis collided with a street-level telephone pole in Phoenix at a speed of 8 mph. Following this incident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into the company, uncovering 24 instances involving collisions or traffic infractions.