39
crashes with airbag deployment for Waymo through September 2025, against about 182 for the human-driven benchmark

What the chart shows

Airbag deployments mark more severe crashes. Through September 2025, Waymo’s rider-only cars reported 39, against about 182 that average human drivers would be expected to have over the same miles and areas, about 79% fewer.

Intersection crashes again show the largest gap, 8 against about 119. Front-to-rear collisions are Waymo’s most common type here, 17 against about 27, followed by secondary crashes, 9 against about 14.

Key numbers

MeasureValue
All types, Waymo39
All types, human-driven benchmark182.01
V2V intersection, Waymo / benchmark8 / 118.96
V2V front-to-rear, Waymo / benchmark17 / 26.91
Secondary crash, Waymo / benchmark9 / 13.68

How to read it

  • V2V means vehicle-to-vehicle; F2R is front-to-rear.
  • Benchmark values are estimates with decimals; the chart and text round them.
  • Data are from Waymo’s own safety reporting through September 2025.
Source: Waymo, 2025, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 2.7.12: Airbag deployment-reported incidents by type: Waymo vs. benchmark for the same miles/areas. Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
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