Posted on 09/17/2024 8:48:20 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology advocates tout a variety of potential benefits when it comes to widespread AV implementation. However, the most important benefit is an increase in safety compared to the average human-driven vehicle. Nevertheless, with high-profile incidents like the Cruise accident last year that resulted in a pedestrian injury, convincing the public that AVs are indeed safer might be something of a challenge.
Now, a new website published by Alphabet’s Waymo AV division highlights some of the statistics around driverless vehicle safety.
Waymo currently operates a fleet of autonomous, all-electric vehicles across the U.S. as a means of developing new AV technology. The company also operates its driverless ride-hailing service, Waymo One. According to the company’s website, Waymo One vehicles have covered well over 22 million miles in the four cities in which the service is available, including 15.4 million miles in Phoenix, 5.93 miles in San Francisco, 855,000 miles in Los Angeles, and 14,000 miles in Austin.
Compared to human-driven vehicles, Waymo states that its autonomous vehicles had 84 percent fewer airbag deployment crashes, 73 percent fewer injury-causing crashes, and 48 percent fewer police-reported crashes. The website also includes graphs indicating a significant crash reduction estimate per million miles compared to human drivers if the AVs had traveled the same distance as human drivers in the cities in which the company operates.
“By making detailed information about crashes and miles driven publicly accessible, Waymo’s transparency will not only support independent research, but foster public trust,” says Chief Research Officer, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, David Zuby, per the new website. “We hope other companies developing and deploying automated driving systems follow suit.”
Even so, in the methodology section, Waymo highlights that “drawing meaningful comparisons between [human-driven and autonomous vehicles] is challenging,” stating that AV and human data differ in the definitions of a crash, with the former required to report any physical contact that results or allegedly results in any property damage, injury, or fatality, and human crash data requiring at least enough damage for a police report. The company also states that not all human crashes are reported, and that, as a ride-hailing service, Waymo operates primarily in dense city scenarios.
Back in October, a Cruise autonomous vehicle was involved in an incident in which a pedestrian was struck by a human-driven vehicle and thrown under a driverless Cruise AV. The incident resulted in a massive restructuring effort at Cruise as the company attempted to regain public trust in AV technology.
Don’t care. No,just no.
He also touts voter-less votes.................
Just keep importing enough Haitians and it will be true.
Some places are already banning the unsafe driver less cars
I had a chance to see how Waymo cars operate on my trip to Austin, TX. It’s weird to see several vehicles jockeying for position at a light or crosswalk with no driver in the front seat. People look at them nervously, but the cars behave like human drivers, courteously stopping to allow people to cross intersections, peeking around corners before turning, etc.
I sense that, over time, people will get used to them like they have for automatic elevators or sliding doors.
They only have to be better than the average human driver.
It appears some of the software/sensor and vehicle combinations have already achieved that standard.
I believe it can be. Not sure if the tech is there yet but it’s close. And nobody has more data than Tesla. Their full sell drive comes with basically every car. If you don’t pay for it you can’t use it but they still collect the data. We’re talking 100,000s of cars on the road every day. If anyone is closest, it’s Tesla not Google.
When will they ban people from driving ?
The sooner we all get in them the sooner we’ll be better off. Think about it. Work while you’re riding and not driving-production goes up. No need for insurance or the highway patrol. No need for a garage as everything can be UBER. That means renting your garage out to uber to serve the neighborhood. No maintenance. It will all be done at one big center. Highway speeds at 80 mph bumper to bumper.
I could go on.
Rush hours-ride share would cut down on the traffic. There would be no need to own a car and worry about the catalityc converter being stolen.
No.
It's all fun and games until Bambi joins the dance.
You will not be given a choice. Insurance companies will simply refuse to give you coverage.
TOTAL BULL
I watch EVERY car when I cross a street, because many of the Electric Vehicles make no sound when they start moving.
Now, add driver-less cars to watch out for?
And, I forgot to mention a new scourge...
Electric Bikes, going 25-30 mph on the side walks, and even faster in the bike lanes you have to walk across.
I got my license at 16.
NOW 84.
HAVE DRIVEN OVER 1 MILLION MILES—NO ACCIDENTS—Last ticket in about 1997. NO SEAT BELT.
PUT OVER 444,000 miles on the ONLY new car I ever owned in 30+ years.
Have 1976 ton 4 speed 454 Chevy truck in driveway. It has over 348,000 on the chassis.
I have driven it over 250,000 miles towing horses since April 1986.
When towing a LIVE LOAD-—the defensive attitude of the driver is paramount. You CANNOT throw those animals around in the trailer or they will refuse to load up.
IMO-—THERE IS NOT a single ‘NON DRIVER” vehicle that can do that.
No, the fat fingers of government on the scales may (as they seek to do something about the free range aspect of free range taxation sources) but insurance companies will never leave money uninsured if they have a say about it.
This doesn't need a computer driven car. Ride sharing has been around for a century with taxi cabs and still doesn't cover people's needs.
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