Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has released a study that highlights its safety record as one of San Francisco’s largest driverless car companies. The study, conducted in partnership with insurance giant Swiss Re, analyzed insurance liability claims to compare collision data between driverless vehicles and human-driven cars. The findings show that Waymo’s driverless fleet has a higher rate of avoiding certain types of collisions compared to human drivers. According to the study, Waymo’s driverless cars experienced 76% fewer accidents involving property damage than human-driven cars. Waymo’s main competition, GM’s Cruise, recently had its fleet reduced due to safety concerns. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is currently investigating Cruise’s safety record. Waymo’s new study also states that its driverless vehicles have not been involved in any crashes resulting in bodily injury, but critics argue that the cars have not been on the road long enough to make fair comparisons. Although the study has been praised for its statistical significance, some experts have raised concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the raw data and the grouping of findings for different cities. Waymo and Swiss Re plan to submit the study to a scientific journal for independent review at an undisclosed time in the future.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/googles-waymo-safety-study-on-driverless-cars/3311188/