EVwire brief: Waymo is reporting a sharp drop in injury crashes for its robotaxis, with new safety data showing an 82% reduction compared to human drivers over more than 270 million rider-only miles.
The latest data covers fully autonomous operation in five U.S. markets: Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. Waymo's safety dashboard currently records 271.3 million rider-only miles across those markets.
The company posted the topline numbers on its official X account:
Compared with the human-driver benchmark over the same distance, Waymo reports:
82% fewer injury-causing crashes, equivalent to 841 fewer crashes
95% fewer serious-injury-or-worse crashes, equivalent to 55 fewer
82% fewer crashes involving an airbag deployment in any vehicle, equivalent to 358 fewer
93% fewer pedestrian crashes involving injuries
86% fewer cyclist crashes involving injuries
82% fewer motorcycle crashes involving injuries
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The 841 figure represents the difference between Waymo's observed crash count and the number of crashes expected from the human benchmark over the same distance. The comparison includes crashes regardless of who was at fault.
Waymo has also made its underlying crash and mileage data publicly accessible to researchers. David Zuby, chief research officer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), said the transparency could support independent research into automated driving safety.
“By making detailed information about crashes and miles driven publicly accessible, Waymo’s transparency will not only support independent research but foster public trust. We hope other companies developing and deploying automated driving systems follow suit.”
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Context:
Waymo has been steadily expanding the size of its safety dataset as its commercial robotaxi service grows. The latest analysis covers 271.3 million rider-only miles through June 2026, across Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. The previous major update, published in June, covered 220.6 million miles through March, meaning the latest analysis adds more than 50 million miles of fully autonomous operation..
The company is also expanding beyond its existing U.S. markets. Waymo recently announced plans to launch fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing in Singapore in 2028, while its European expansion plans include London and Munich.
Source: Waymo's Safety Impact data hub and Waymo on X
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