IIHS Study Finds Waymo Robotaxis Have 68% Fewer Crashes

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported that Waymo robotaxis in autonomous mode were involved in 68% fewer police-reportable crashes per mile traveled than human drivers from 2021 to 2024. Analyzing 50 million Waymo miles against 222 billion human-driven miles, the study found Waymo averaged 1.28 crashes per million miles compared to 4.06 for humans. Safety gains were most prominent in rear-end collisions, which fell by 91%, and single-vehicle crashes, which dropped by 85%.

Performance varied across the four study cities. Waymo saw the lowest crash rates in Phoenix (76% lower) and Los Angeles (71% lower), followed by San Francisco (35% lower). In Austin, the crash rate was 4% higher than human drivers, though researchers attributed this to a small sample size. Lead author Eric Teoh noted that Waymo crashes were generally less egregious, with fewer head-on collisions.

Despite the data, IIHS President David Harkey cautioned that current data collection systems are insufficient for monitoring a large-scale expansion. The study focused exclusively on Waymo because it was the only company to voluntarily provide necessary mileage data. These findings follow a June recall of 3,871 Waymo vehicles due to dangerous driving in construction zones and a May incident in Atlanta where 50 vehicles clogged a residential street. Waymo also faces expansion hurdles in Canada due to winter climate challenges and political opposition in Toronto regarding job losses.