In the “olden days,” if you needed to get somewhere, you’d walk, drive your own car, take public transportation like a bus or train, or hail a taxi. Maybe you’d ask a favor of a friend and ask for a ride to your destination. There was always a way to get where you needed to go.
Today, you have all those options, plus the ever-popular ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft. Some people even ride in self-driving cars, which still require the driver to be engaged with the vehicle.
Now, there’s yet another way to travel: Waymo. Waymo combines the concept of ride-sharing with self-driving cars. These autonomous vehicles require no human intervention and function as a ride-hailing service; they are also sometimes called robotaxis.
Waymo is owned by Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google.
How does Waymo work?
Waymo is an autonomous driving system that is available as a ride-hailing service.
Each vehicle combines sensors, liDAR, cameras, software and advanced AI (machine learning) to navigate roads and traffic. There are a variety of vehicles, including retrofitted Chrysler Pacifica minivans and Jaguar I-PACE electric SUVs. The vehicles have been rigorously tested both in simulation environments and on public roads to ensure safety and performance.
LiDAR is a detection system that’s similar to radar, but uses light from a laser. This allows the vehicle to have a 360° view around it by sending millions of laser pulses to detect an object up to 980 feet away. The radar allows a vehicle to see around other vehicles and track objects in motion.
A passenger may use the Waymo One app to request a ride, just like they would using Uber or Lyft. The passenger enters their location and destination, receives a price quote and estimated pickup and drop-off times, and the vehicle would be electronically unlocked. Once seated in the vehicle, they indicate “start ride” in the app, and then can use the Waymo Driver passenger screen to see the route they’re taking.
The rider does not need to be in the driver’s seat of a Waymo vehicle. In fact, the company does not allow the ride to be in the driver’s seat; they would sit anywhere else in the vehicle they like.
Do Waymo vehicles ever crash?
Yes, but its safety record remains impressive. The company released crash data in 2024 that said it had far fewer crashes than similar trips with human drivers.
Specifically, the study indicated that after 22 million miles of operation in both Phoenix and San Francisco, Waymo vehicles had fewer crashes than human-driven vehicles in three categories:
- 84% fewer airbag deployment crashes
- 73% fewer injury crashes
- 48% fewer police-reported crashes
Waymo claims that within the first million public road miles driven by completely autonomous vehicles, there were no reported injuries and no collisions with pedestrians and cyclists. The company says the vehicle/vehicle collisions were caused by another person’s driving.
All driving (or riding in) cars is a risk. We risk injury every time we get in a car, whether we’re the driver or a passenger. The same is true for any vehicle—buses, trains, bicycles, etc.—but it’s a risk most people accept because we have no choice. There’s even risk as a pedestrian, so really, we run these risks nearly every day.
Nonetheless, some vehicles and behaviors increase our risk more than others. That’s why most people will look at a car’s safety ratings before they purchase, and we wear our seat belts and follow traffic laws; things that seem second nature or that we rarely think about are our ways of reducing risk.
Riding in a Waymo vehicle isn’t risk-free. However, the company is confident that the risk is below a level that would be concerning and that it’s no higher than a traditional human-driven vehicle.
Who’s liable for a Waymo crash?
Traveling in a ride-hailing vehicle has certain liability rules. Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft also have insurance that becomes active when they pick up a passenger.
Regardless of whether you’re riding in an Uber, Lyft, or a Waymo vehicle, the basic principles of personal injury law remain. To prove that someone was at fault (i.e. negligent) for a car accident, you must prove three elements:
- The person owed a duty of reasonable care (each driver has a duty to drive carefully and obey all traffic laws);
- The person breached that duty (the other person didn’t drive carefully or didn’t obey a traffic law);
- You were injured and suffered damages as a result of the other person’s breach.
Sometimes, liability in an Uber or Lyft rideshare crash could be on the driver. But if Waymo doesn’t have a human driver, who can you hold responsible? The AI?
Liability could fall on Waymo—especially if the accident stems from a design flaw, software defect, or a cyberattack that compromised the vehicle’s control systems.
For instance, if the crash was caused by faulty sensors or software, the plaintiff could hold Waymo liable under product liability laws.
There are also some Waymo vehicles that do have human drivers. That individual could be held liable if they cause a crash.
There’s also the possibility that another driver was at fault, and they could be held liable even if the Waymo vehicle is partially responsible.
How do you know if Waymo is liable for your injuries?
- Did the Waymo vehicle malfunction in a way that caused the crash?
- Were you aware of any Waymo software or hardware malfunctions?
- If the Waymo had a human driver, were they paying attention and driving cautiously?
- Was the crash caused by a driver of another vehicle?
How do you prove liability in a Waymo accident?
For the most part, evidence in a Waymo accident would be similar to any other type of car crash. You’d rely on video surveillance if it’s available, witness statements if possible, and crash investigation reports. However, in a Waymo crash, you might also have data from an electronic control module of the vehicle. This is sort of like the “black box” in an airplane that records any action the pilot or plane took in the moments before an incident. This could be helpful if there’s not a viable witness. For example, since the Waymo vehicle doesn’t have a human driver, it’s possible that the only human to witness the crash is the single rider (or potentially the driver of another involved vehicle). And if the Waymo passenger is reading, looking at their phone, or otherwise occupied, they might not know how the accident happened or what led up to it.
Should you file a lawsuit for a Waymo accident?
If you were injured in an accident caused by a Waymo vehicle or any of its components, you might have a cause of action for damages.
Bear in mind that Google is one of the largest companies in the world, with the deepest pockets. And that doesn’t absolve it of responsibility for a Waymo malfunction, but it does mean it has ample legal resources to fight back.
However, that doesn’t mean the burden for an injury that wasn’t your fault should be yours to bear alone. Particularly if it left you with significant medical bills, if it requires time off from work, or if you have other major related costs, you should consider consulting a personal injury attorney. Your lawyer will provide guidance and help you through the process of recovering damages from a Waymo accident.