Waymo says its driverless cars are involved in far fewer injury-causing crashes than human-driven vehicles, based on 271 million autonomous miles recorded in five US cities. The figures are intended to strengthen support for autonomous vehicles as officials debate their safety and economic effects, although critics say they overlook non-crash disruption and rely too heavily on company-reported data.

Waymo reported 82% fewer injury-causing crashes, 95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse, and substantial reductions in injury-causing crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The company operates nearly 4,000 vehicles in more than 10 cities, but its mileage remains tiny compared with the roughly 3 trillion miles driven by humans annually. An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study also found fewer crashes involving Waymo vehicles, while warning that current data systems are insufficient for monitoring large-scale expansion; federal records separately listed 797 Waymo-involved crashes from March to September 2026, including one reported fatality involving a pedestrian struck first by a human driver.