Google Reveals Safety Record of Self-Driving Car Program

Chris Urmson, director of Google’s self-driving car program, for Medium’s Backchannel:

If you spend enough time on the road, accidents will happen whether you’re in a car or a self-driving car. Over the 6 years since we started the project, we’ve been involved in 11 minor accidents (light damage, no injuries) during those 1.7 million miles of autonomous and manual driving with our safety drivers behind the wheel, and not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident.

Good numbers, but maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. “Safer than human drivers” is probably setting the bar way, way too low.

★ Monday, 11 May 2015