Summary
- Swiss Re analysis shows that Waymo’s robotaxis are safer than human drivers and even safer than new cars with advanced driver assistance systems
- Waymo Driver provided an 88% reduction in property damage claims and a 92% reduction in bodily injury claims
- Waymo Driver was involved in significantly fewer claims compared to human drivers across the same distance
- Modern ADAS systems help in reducing accidents and injuries, but not as much as Waymo Driver
- The research supports the potential for autonomous vehicles to create a safer future for roads.
Article
Swiss Re, a leading global reinsurer, conducted an analysis comparing the safety of Waymo’s robotaxis with human drivers and modern cars equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The study found that Waymo’s robotaxis outperformed both human drivers and ADAS-equipped vehicles in terms of reducing property damage and bodily injury claims. Waymo Driver provided an 88% reduction in property damage claims and a 92% reduction in bodily injury claims over 25.3 million miles of fully autonomous driving.
In contrast, human drivers were estimated to have 78 property damage and 26 bodily injury claims over the same distance, highlighting the significant improvement achieved by Waymo’s autonomous technology. Even modern ADAS systems, including automated emergency braking and lane keeping assistance, did not match the safety improvements demonstrated by Waymo Driver. The analysis showed an 86% reduction in property damage claims and a 90% reduction in bodily injury claims for 2018–2021 models with ADAS.
Ali Shahkarami, Global Head P&C Solutions at Swiss Re, emphasized the importance of using insurance data to evaluate autonomous vehicle safety and support widespread adoption. The research findings, which have been submitted to a scientific journal, provide robust evidence that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles had minimal responsibility in collisions compared to human drivers. Waymo’s safety impact data also supports the conclusion that the Waymo Driver experienced fewer serious collisions over 25 million fully autonomous miles.
Overall, the study underscores the potential of autonomous vehicle technology to create a safer future for roads by significantly reducing accidents and injuries. By analyzing a large dataset across multiple cities, Swiss Re deepened its understanding of how autonomous technology performs in real-world conditions. The collaboration between Swiss Re and Waymo highlights the importance of leveraging insurance data to evaluate and enhance the safety of autonomous vehicles, ultimately contributing to the advancement of the cleantech revolution.
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