A massive power outage in San Francisco left Waymo robotaxis stranded at darkened intersections, forcing a service suspension and sparking debate over autonomous vehicle resilience during infrastructure failures.
As Waymo surpasses 50 million autonomous miles, a complex picture emerges: statistically significant reductions in injury rates compared to human drivers, clashing with a growing absolute number of fender benders and regulatory scrutiny.
Armed with new studies from Swiss Re and internal crash data, Alphabet's autonomous unit argues it has surpassed human safety benchmarks, even as software recalls and public skepticism persist.