Self-driving cars may be involved in more crashes than human drivers on a per-mile basis, but the evidence suggests those accidents are generally far less likely to result in serious injuries or fatalities, according to Aulsbrook Car & Truck Lawyers.
A review of autonomous vehicle safety data found self-driving vehicles are involved in about 9.1 crashes per million miles traveled, compared with roughly 4.1 for human-driven vehicles. However, the report found autonomous vehicle crashes are typically much less severe, with significantly fewer injuries and no recorded fatalities in several major datasets.
The contrast is especially clear in Austin, Texas, where about 12,000 traffic crashes occurred in 2025. Just 85 involved autonomous vehicles, resulting in eight injuries and no deaths. By comparison, crashes involving human drivers caused roughly 8,000 injuries and 99 fatalities.
Several studies cited in the report reached similar conclusions. One analysis covering more than 7 million autonomous miles found self-driving systems reduced injury-related crashes by 85% compared with human drivers. Waymo separately reported major reductions in injury crashes, airbag deployments, and collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists when compared with human-operated vehicles traveling the same roads.
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