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What experts say about LA’s autonomous cars and their safety record
A Waymo autonomous self-driving Jaguar drives along Venice Beach in 2024.
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What we know about LA’s autonomous cars and their safety record
Autonomous vehicles like Waymos have become a familiar sight in some parts of Los Angeles and Amazon’s Zoox is testing throughout the region. New data show how these vehicles' safety record stacks up with human drivers.
Topline:
New data shows Waymo’s robotaxis are crashing less often as they log more miles driven in Los Angeles. Experts recently joined LAist 89.3’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle and said the numbers are encouraging but don’t tell the whole story.
The data: Analyzed by the Los Angeles Times, it found:
- Crash rates are down from 57 crashes per million miles driven in 2023 to under six this year.
- The majority of Waymo-involved crashes happened while the vehicle was stopped. However, Waymos are designed to stop when they encounter issues.
Why safety is improving: Better technology, remote human help, and human drivers getting accustomed to Waymos are likely reasons safety is improving, Matthew Raifman of UC Berkeley told AirTalk listeners.
Concerns: Former federal auto safety regulator and UCLA law professor Ann Carlson stressed on air that Waymo’s improving safety record shouldn’t be extrapolated onto other autonomous car companies like Tesla’s Cybercab or Amazon’s Zoox, both of which have had recent safety issues.
Listen: To the full AirTalk segment above to hear about the challenges involved in making autonomous cars safe in every environment.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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