China adopts autonomous vehicle safety rules as US study shows Waymo robotaxis far safer

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced new safety standards for autonomous vehicles that will take effect on July 1, 2027. The rules require a mandatory deactivation override, apply to both vehicles that need a human backup driver and fully driverless robotaxis, and mandate that autonomous systems match the safety performance of human drivers. Manufacturers must inform buyers of any system limitations and ensure safe activation and deactivation procedures, with monitoring of backup‑driver readiness. The regulations follow a fatal crash in 2025 involving a Xiaomi‑branded assisted‑driving car and align with global standards adopted by a UN agency in June.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examined crash data from 2021‑2024 and found Waymo’s driverless taxis crash 68% less often than human‑driven vehicles. Waymo operates 577 robotaxis, providing about 500,000 paid rides each week across ten U.S. cities. Crash rates were 76% lower in Phoenix, 71% lower in Los Angeles, and 35% lower in San Francisco, with a slight 4% higher rate in Austin. Single‑vehicle crashes were 85% fewer and injury crashes 81% fewer than human drivers. Waymo logged roughly 50 million miles in driverless mode versus about 222 billion miles by human drivers during the same period.