An Analysis of Traffic Collisions Involving Autonomous (“Self-Driving”) Vehicles in San Francisco, California

This study analyzes collision data for approved autonomous vehicles in California, comparing their safety performance to conventional vehicles in San Francisco and across the United States. The findings reveal that autonomous vehicles have a significantly lower rate of property damage-only crashes but a higher rate of injury crashes compared to traditional fleets, although they record zero fatalities per million miles traveled. Most accidents involving autonomous vehicles are attributed to the other party or uncontrollable factors, highlighting their safety potential.