Waymo has released new data indicating that the Waymo Driver continues to make roads safer in the places in which we operate.
A new analysis covers over 170 million fully autonomous miles—an equivalent of 200 human lifetimes of driving. The data shows that regardless of fault, the Waymo Driver was involved in 92% fewer crashes that cause serious or fatal injuries than human drivers in the same driving conditions. Our Driver was also involved in 83% fewer crashes where airbags are deployed, and 82% fewer crashes involving any injuries at all.
At our current scale, driving over 4 million miles weekly, our analysis suggests the Waymo Driver is preventing approximately one serious-injury crash every 8 days. Some medical professionals argue that this kind of safety record represents a public health breakthrough that could make significant contributions to reducing the likelihood of road traffic deaths and the impact of crashes.
View the full analysis and details of our methodology here. Beyond analyzing performance data, the Waymo Driver undergoes a rigorous safety review before it’s deployed on public roads. In particular, this paper outlines the formal acceptance criteria used to evaluate our Driver’s safety readiness. (....)