Waymo robotaxis found to crash 68% less often than human drivers See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google Waymo’s robotaxis are now safer than human drivers, according to an analysis of data from self-driving juggernaut Waymo — in spite of headlines about automated vehicles causing chaos on some city streets. The Alphabet subsidiary’s driverless cars crash 68% less often than human drivers, according to a recently published study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit focused on reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from vehicle crashes. The study indicates the self-driving tech – which has long been touted as a game-changer as more than 1 million people die each year in traffic accidents – has been making strides. The study compared the rate at which Waymo-run and human-operated vehicles were involved in crashes in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin. Waymo’s rate was 76% lower than the human rate in Phoenix, 71% lower in LA and 35% lower in San Francisco. Humans bested Waymos by 4% in Austin. Waymo leads the autonomous ride-hailing market with 577 registered driverless vehicles and roughly 500,000 paid rides each week across 10 cities. The high safety marks for Waymo come after incidents like a number of Waymos getting clogged on San Francisco streets over the summer, leaving thousands to hoof it home on foot during a disastrous July Fourth celebration. One Waymo appeared to drive directly through an exploding firework while its passengers watched in horror. The Post has sought comment from Waymo. Comparing robot-car accident data with that of human drivers isn’t a perfect match and the study had to account for numerous data challenges, the authors wrote. The study’s sample was restricted to crashes that a person would typically report