Car Crashes Are A Public Health Crisis. Autonomous Cars Are The Cure. - CleanTechnica

The article highlights the severe public health crisis posed by motor vehicle accidents in the United States, where nearly 40,000 people die and about 6 million collisions occur annually. Neurosurgeon Jonathan Slotkin, who frequently treats crash victims, analyzed safety data from Waymo, a leading autonomous vehicle company that uniquely publishes comprehensive accident reports. His analysis of nearly 100 million driverless miles across four U.S. cities through mid-2025 revealed that Waymo’s self-driving cars experienced 91% fewer serious injury or fatal crashes and 80% fewer injury-causing crashes overall compared to human drivers on the same roads. Notably, injury-causing crashes at intersections—a common site of deadly accidents—were 96% lower with Waymo vehicles. Slotkin argues that autonomous vehicles represent a major public health breakthrough because they strictly follow traffic rules, maintain constant awareness, and avoid distractions and high-speed conflicts that often lead to fatal crashes. While acknowledging that the technology is not flawless—citing minor incidents