Descriptive analysis of reports on autonomous vehicle collisions in California: January 2021–June 2022

Abstract

The characteristics of autonomous vehicles’ collisions from 2021 and the first half of 2022 in California confirm trends reported in previous years. Driving in autonomous mode was associated with fewer instances in which the AV was deemed to be at fault in a collision. Most collisions in autonomous mode were rear-end collisions at intersections. Single vehicle collisions occurred mostly in manual mode. Collisions with vulnerable road users occurred mostly while the autonomous vehicle was in manual mode, often right after disengagement from autonomous mode. In collisions with other vehicles that occurred after disengagement, the other vehicles were frequently deemed to be at fault. Compared to 2021, the collision reports from the first half of 2022 indicate higher shares of collisions in autonomous mode, rear-end collisions, and collisions with vulnerable road users.