• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, November 11, 2024

Photo Credit: Tanya Gazdik/MediaPost

Editor's Note: This story ran in a previous edition. 

It might seem unnerving to ride in the backseat of a driverless vehicle, but statistics bear out that it’s actually quite safe.  

I recently had a chance to check out Waymo’s ride service firsthand during a visit to San Francisco. The company is also offering the service in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin. 

According to a safety report from the company, compared to an average human driver over the same 25-mile distance in Phoenix and San Francisco, the Waymo Driver had 81% fewer airbag deployment crashes, 72% fewer injury causing crashes and 57% fewer police-reported crashes. 

I decided to take a 15-minute ride in rush-hour traffic to see how it behaved firsthand. I buckled my seatbelt in the comfortable and clean backseat of the Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle and watched while the car pulled away from the curb. 

The first thing I noticed was how “politely” the vehicle operated — it always used turn signals, obeyed the speed limits and didn’t take any unnecessary risks. I quickly settled down and felt no apprehension. 

I noted at least six other Waymo vehicles on the road during the short drive. They are easy to spot, with cameras and sensors on the roof and the corners of the vehicle. 

It got me to thinking about a future when all downtowns might be full of self-driving vehicles, which would give humans the option to relax, check emails or do whatever you might want to do with the extra time. 

Don't get me wrong -- I love to drive. But I can definitely see a place for this technology. I mean, who really wants to drive in stop-and-go rush hour traffic? 

If you are looking for a thrill ride, the Waymo ride service might not be for you. I compared Waymo arrival times to Uber and Lyft, and Waymos are actually several minutes slower than the ride services driven by humans. 

The ride service might be the perfect option for introverts, or days when you don’t feel like human interaction for a bit. I ended up taking a traditional ride service back to my hotel with a chatty driver and I noted the difference in the experience. 

Waymo recently announced that its Waymo One service is now providing over 150,000 paid trips and driving over one million fully autonomous miles every week. 

"The future is here, it’s growing, and it’s taking riders safely to their destinations every day,” the company posted on social media. 

I’m personally looking forward to taking another Waymo ride next time I’m in one of the cities where they are available. 

Photo Credit: Tanya Gazdik/MediaPost