IIHS Analysis Shows Waymo Robotaxis Record 68 Percent Fewer Crashes Than Human Drivers Across Four Cities

The IIHS July study constructed a police-reportable crash category to correct for incomplete human crash data. Researchers compared NHTSA-mandated Waymo disengagement and incident reports against state crash databases in the four cities. Waymo Jaguar I-Pace vehicles showed consistent reductions: 76 percent lower in Phoenix, 71 percent in Los Angeles, and 35 percent in San Francisco, with a small-sample 4 percent increase in Austin.

Human crash underreporting reaches an estimated 50 percent for all incidents and one-third for injury events according to prior IIHS and NHTSA analyses. Waymo must log every contact regardless of severity while human drivers often avoid reports to limit insurance increases. This asymmetry inflates apparent human safety performance in raw statistics.

ADAS mandates already require automatic emergency braking on all new light vehicles by 2029, with current voluntary compliance above 90 percent. IIHS data previously linked AEB to 50 percent fewer rear-end crashes and 27 percent fewer pedestrian strikes. Waymo Level 4 operations extend these gains by removing driver impairment variables entirely.

NHTSA will expand disengagement reporting requirements in 2025 while additional cities consider robotaxi permits. Continued transparency from operators will determine whether the per-mile safety differential holds as fleets scale beyond fair-weather geofences.