Growing proof that autonomous cars save lives
Recent research indicates that autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems significantly reduce crash rates and injuries compared to human drivers. Data from Waymo and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlights substantial improvements in safety metrics for vehicles equipped with automated braking and other autonomous features.
Why it matters
As autonomous technology matures, it has the potential to drastically lower traffic-related fatalities and reshape urban transportation safety standards.
Plenty of people remain spooked by autonomous vehicles , or AVs. Some experts and policymakers have cautioned that AVs won’t necessarily make roads safer. When it comes to partial or full autonomy, the picture isn’t entirely clear, in part because there aren’t enough self-driving cars to make meaningful apples-to-apples comparisons.
Yet mounting research suggests that self-driving cars crash significantly less often than people, and with far fewer injuries. Evidence also shows that advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and other building blocks of autonomy—some of which are already mandated on every new car—are also reducing occupant and pedestrian injuries and deaths, along with insurance claims.
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