Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highlights that self-driving cars need a near-pristine safety record to be better drivers than humans. However, one driverless taxi service has the data to prove that its vehicles can meet that standard. Waymo published a research paper last week that shows its cars, laden with cameras and sensors, are dramatically safer than human drivers.
The exact figures are startling to see if you’re used to the erratic behavior of Tesla’s Autopilot. Compared to humans, Waymo vehicles have 92% fewer crashes with injuries to pedestrians, 82% fewer crashes with injuries to cyclists, and 82% fewer crashes with injuries to motorcycle riders. This data was from over 56.7 million miles of operations and included every incident regardless of who was at fault. Jonathan Adkins, CEO at Governors Highway Safety Association, said in a statement:
“It’s encouraging to see real-world data showing Waymo outperforming human drivers when it comes to safety. Fewer crashes and fewer injuries — especially for people walking and biking — is exactly the kind of progress we want to see from autonomous vehicles.”
Tesla could burn the reputation of self-driving taxis
While Waymo’s strides are impressive, I fear that Tesla will burn the goodwill toward self-driving taxis gradually established over the years when it launches its Robotaxi service (or whatever it’s legally allowed to call it). Elon Musk continues to be a vocal opponent of lidar sensors and will only equip Tesla’s vehicles with cameras to visually navigate roads and traffic. The lack of incoming information about its surroundings have resulted in erratic driving patterns that led to crashes. Last year, it was found that 75 Tesla crashes were caused by Autopilot failing to stop, yield, or veering suddenly.
Waymo has been looking to expand into colder markets and began testing in regions that experience snow and ice. Hopefully, the safe driving of Waymo’s vehicles so far carries over in the Midwest and Northeast if passengers are able to hail self-driving taxis in cities like Chicago and Detroit. I want to know how any of those Jaguars would handle black ice or an uncleared snow-covered street.
