Self-Driving Car Accidents

The State of Self-Driving Car Safety

Since NHTSA began requiring manufacturers to report autonomous vehicle incidents under Standing General Order 2021-01, the database has grown to 6,450 reported incidents across 60 manufacturers. These incidents span 52 U.S. states and territories, painting the most complete picture of autonomous driving safety available to the public.

The data reveals two fundamentally different approaches to vehicle automation. ADS (Automated Driving Systems) like Waymo and Cruise operate vehicles without a human driver, accounting for 2,709 incidents. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) like Tesla Autopilot and GM Super Cruise require a human driver, with 3,741 reported incidents.

Of all reported incidents, 69 involved at least one fatality and 3,208 involved injuries. The severity distribution shows that 69 were fatal, 3,208 involved injuries, and 3,173 resulted in no injuries — a ratio that reflects both the varying severity of incidents and the different reporting thresholds across manufacturers.

Weather conditions at the time of incidents were predominantly clear (3664 incidents), followed by cloudy conditions and rain. This distribution likely reflects both the geographic concentration of AV operations in Sun Belt states and the tendency for autonomous systems to be disengaged in severe weather.