Growing proof that autonomous cars save lives

	Growing proof that autonomous cars save lives(spectrum.ieee.org)
	417 points by bookofjoe 22 hours ago \| 725 comments
	tl;dr: IIHS and Waymo studies show autonomous vehicles crash significantly less than human drivers, with Waymo robotaxis involved in 68% fewer crashes overall and 81% fewer injury crashes per mile across four U.S. cities. ADAS features like automatic emergency braking are also cutting pedestrian crashes by 27% and rear-end crashes by 50%. However, the AV industry still lacks national safety standards and consistent crash reporting, prompting NHTSA to partner with SAE on a three-year effort to develop performance benchmarks.
	HN Discussion: ~Public transit, biking, and walking should be prioritized over autonomous cars for safety ↑Autonomous cars only need to be better than humans, not perfect, and have reached that bar ↓Waymo's statistics are misleading by comparing to average drivers rather than rideshare drivers ~ADAS assistance is sufficient; full self-driving isn't necessary to save lives ↑Economic incentives like insurance costs will naturally push adoption of autonomous vehicles