Self-Driving Cars: Social Robots That Save Lives

• Smartphones reversed decades of road safety progress.
  • ~40,000 annual U.S. deaths; 1.2M globally.
  • Created “competing social load” — attention split mid-drive.
• Driving is inherently social: real-time nonverbal coordination.
  • AVs perform this social work flawlessly, no fatigue or frustration.
• Waymo June 2025: 90% fewer serious-injury crashes, 81% fewer any-injury.
  • Immerman: equivalent drug would be fast-tracked by FDA.
• Cities blocking AVs are making a moral choice — trading lives for caution.
• AVs deserve same policy urgency as housing and healthcare.

Alex Immerman, Partner at a16z · 2025-12-20 · Read on a16z.com