Skip to main content

An analysis of real-world crashes involving self-driving vehicles

A study by the University of Michigan performed a preliminary analysis of the cumulative on-road safety record of self-driving vehicles for three of the ten companies that are currently approved for such vehicle testing in California (Google, Delphi, and Audi). The analysis compared the safety record of these vehicles with the safety record of all conventional vehicles in the US for 2013 (adjusted for underreporting of crashes that do not involve a fatality).
October 30, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A study by the University of Michigan performed a preliminary analysis of the cumulative on-road safety record of self-driving vehicles for three of the ten companies that are currently approved for such vehicle testing in California (1691 Google, 7207 Delphi, and 2125 Audi).

The analysis compared the safety record of these vehicles with the safety record of all conventional vehicles in the US for 2013 (adjusted for underreporting of crashes that do not involve a fatality).

Taking into account the fact that the distance accumulated by self-driving vehicles is still relatively low compared with conventional vehicles and that the vehicles were driven only in limited conditions, the study came up with some interesting results.

These, including the facts that self-driving vehicles may have a higher crash rate per million miles travelled than conventional vehicles, and self-driving vehicles were not at fault in any crashes they were involved in, are available in the report abstract on the university’s website. (link %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/PDF/UMTRI-2015-34_Abstract_English.pdf Visit Umich false http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/PDF/UMTRI-2015-34_Abstract_English.pdf false false%>).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Australian ITS Summit 2013
    July 3, 2013
    ITS Australia’s 2013 summit is a comprehensive two-day program featuring Australian and international speakers in plenary sessions, themed breakouts and open panel discussions, to be held 18 to 20 September in Sydney. Key topics include systems standards, data collection and analysis, geographic information systems and positioning, charging and collection systems, managed transport for safety and efficiency, and ITS technologies for the National Infrastructure Plan. A technology exhibition and gala Sydney
  • Presentations from 2012 Connected Vehicle Safety Workshop now available online
    October 4, 2012
    PowerPoint presentations from September’s Connected Vehicle public meeting in Chicago are now available for viewing on the internet. The meeting, which was organised by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO), focused on vehicle-to-vehicle safety, the current safety pilot model deployment, development of a robust vehicle-to-infrastructure environment, connected vehicle deployment strategies, and preparation for NHTSA's 2013 decision. In addition, participants had an opportunit
  • Lyft Green Mode option allows riders to request electric and hybrid vehicles
    February 14, 2019
    Lyft is launching a Green Mode feature within its app to provide riders in Seattle with the option to travel in an electric or hybrid vehicle. The move follows the company’s planned introduction of thousands of electric vehicles (EVs) onto its platform this year. Lyft says the deployment will allow its drivers to increase net earnings as it says the cost of travelling in an EV is half that of a petrol-powered car, therefore saving hundreds of dollars per month on fuel costs. Drivers can switch
  • Evolis launches AVANSIA crystal clear card printer with a 600 dpi resolution at CARTES 2013
    November 19, 2013
    On-demand card printer Evolis is using CARTES 2013 to introduce AVANSIA, a new printer loaded with all the latest retransfer technology. With the retransfer system on AVANSIA, “card printing is performed in two steps”, says Evolis. “First, the card layout is printed through thermal transfer; then the print layer is transferred from the film to the card.” And, says Evolis, the entire surface of the card comes out “crystal clear with text, microprints and watermarks in 600 dpi resolution.”