Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have caused a stir in the news recently due to accidents involving Cruise, Waymo, and Tesla, leading to federal investigations. A Nature paper analyzed 37,000 accidents with AVs and human-driven vehicles, with AVs generally safer but underperforming in certain scenarios. The paper uniquely categorized risks based on accident variables, like road conditions. Level 4 AVs were 36 percent less likely to be involved in moderate injury accidents and 90 percent less likely in fatal accidents. However, they faced challenges in turns and at dawn and dusk. Researchers acknowledge the need for advanced algorithms, better data, and infrastructure updates to support AV technology.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/autonomous-vehicles-great-at-straights