English 
Spanish 
4 min read
0 comments
A recent study has shown that Waymo's self-driving vehicles are significantly safer than human drivers in a variety of situations.
Waymo, a company controlled by the giant Alphabet Inc., which also owns Google, has invested heavily in expanding its robotaxi platform in the United States and, more recently, in other parts of the world, such as Tokyo.
Despite the growing adoption of autonomous technology, there is still significant resistance from many people who do not completely trust driverless vehicles.
However, a new study, carried out in partnership with Swiss Re, a global reinsurer, has challenged this view and yielded impressive results.
- This company is convinced that it has invented a system to revolutionize urban transportation in the world — autonomous vehicles for transporting passengers and cargo
- Why scientists say finding alien life is now 'just a matter of time'
- Toyota invests R$61 billion in the “City of the Future” at the foot of Mount Fuji and is looking for residents to test new revolutionary technologies in a project that promises to change the world!
- US scientists create strongest ever armor material with 100 trillion bonds
Proven security with numbers
The study that proves the superiority of Waymo's autonomous vehicles was based on a gigantic volume of data. The analysis involved 25,3 million miles traveled by its robotaxis.
Swiss Re, which conducted the study, analyzed hundreds of thousands of collision-related liability claims and used that information to compare the performance of Waymo vehicles with that of cars driven by human drivers.
The results are impressive. According to the study, vehicles operated by the Waymo Driver platform have seen an 88% reduction in property damage claims and an even greater 92% reduction in bodily injury claims.
In other words, robotaxis are involved in far fewer accidents, and when they do occur, the impact is significantly smaller.
Data that speaks louder
To better understand the numbers, let's compare the reality of Waymo's robotaxis vehicles with that of regular vehicles.
In 25,3 million miles driven by Waymo cars, there have been just nine claims for property damage and two for bodily injury. For human drivers, the same distance driven would result in 78 claims for property damage and 26 for bodily injury.
What makes this study even more relevant is the fact that the comparison was made with newer vehicles, models between 2018 and 2021, which are equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
These systems include features like automated emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane-keeping assist, which help avoid accidents. Still, Waymo's vehicles have proven to be safer.
Technology that goes beyond human vision
The data presented by Waymo and Swiss Re offers a clear insight into the superiority of robotaxis in terms of safety.
The technology behind Waymo Driver, the system that operates the vehicles, uses a set of cameras, sensors and algorithms to analyze the environment in a 360-degree manner. This allows the robotaxi to react more accurately and quickly than a human driver, especially in risky situations.
Compared to human drivers, who rely on their vision, experience and instincts to make quick decisions, Waymo’s platform can process real-time information with much greater accuracy. This means the vehicle is able to detect obstacles, other drivers and pedestrians more effectively, reducing the likelihood of accidents.
The real impact of the study
Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer, highlighted the importance of the study, saying that insurance claims data is a valuable tool for assessing the safety of autonomous vehicles. Comparing the two categories of drivers—humans and robotaxis—makes it clear that Waymo’s platform performs remarkably well.
The numbers don’t lie: In more than 25 million miles driven, Waymo has had fewer serious collisions than human drivers, regardless of who was at fault. And, most impressively, the vast majority of collisions involving Waymo vehicles were not the company’s fault, which further reinforces the effectiveness of the system.
Public resistance is still a challenge
While the data is clear and the numbers are impressive, public resistance to robotaxis adoption remains an obstacle. The fear of getting into a driverless car is understandable, especially when you consider how accustomed we still are to the idea that a person should be in control of the vehicle.
As with the acceptance process for electric cars, a lack of knowledge about how the technology works and a lack of confidence in its safety are factors that hinder mass adoption. Education and transparency from companies like Waymo are essential to changing this perception.
The future of robotaxis
Although there is still a long way to go, the safety of Waymo's robotaxis is no longer a concern for those who want to test the technology.
With robust data and an impeccable safety record, Waymo has shown that its autonomous vehicles can be a viable and much safer solution than human drivers, who, no matter how experienced they are, cannot compete with the processing power and vision capabilities of machines.
Meanwhile, Waymo continues its expansion journey, moving toward creating a future where robotaxis can operate more widely. For many, Swiss Re’s study could be the first step toward a world where autonomous driving is the norm rather than the exception.
