Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The debate over robotaxi safety is one for the ages, with viral videos of autonomous blunders fueling public skepticism and stories of autopilot highway mishaps, but the latest study from the IIHS paints a surprisingly clear picture: Waymo driverless vehicles are significantly safer than the average human behind the wheel. In a comprehensive new study, researchers found that Waymo cars deployed across major American cities experienced 68 percent fewer police reportable crashes per vehicle mile traveled compared to human drivers in those exact same locations.What This Tells UsWaymoThis is not a sweeping endorsement of all automated technology, but rather a targeted look at Level 4 autonomous systems currently operating in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. Waymo vehicles logged nearly 50 million driverless miles during the study period, offering a massive real-world dataset. The numbers get even more compelling when breaking down the severity of the incidents. According to the IIHS, the Waymo fleet saw 81 percent fewer crashes resulting in injuries and 85 percent fewer single-vehicle crashes than their human counterparts.AdvertisementAdvertisementDespite these promising safety metrics, the IIHS investigation also exposed critical blind spots in how the federal government tracks automated driving. Right now, safety researchers are forced to navigate a fragmented and heavily flawed national data collection system. Companies testing these vehicles are required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to report crashes, but they are completely off the hook when it comes to reporting the actual miles logged. Waymo voluntarily provided their mileage data, allowing this specific comparison to happen.Furthermore, human drivers typically only report crashes involving injury or significant property damage, whereas autonomous companies face strict regulatory pressure to report every minor scrape or fender bender. The researchers had to meticulously clean the federal data, applying a common sense standard to ensure they were only comparing crashes that a typical American driver would actually report to the police.WaymoThe Right Direction?The statistics strongly suggest that Level 4 robotaxis, when carefully deployed, can dramatically reduce roadway accidents by removing human impairment, distraction, and fatigue from the equation. However, until federal regulators mandate standardized mileage and crash reporting for all autonomous vehicle operators, the true safety record of the broader self-driving industry will remain obscured. We need transparent and continuous monitoring before these vehicles hit every Main Street in America.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Jul 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.