Automated cars are unlikely to get rid of all the "94% human error" mishaps that are often cited as a safety rationale. But there is certainly room for improvement compared to human drivers. Let's sort out the hype from the data. You've heard that the reason we desperately need automated cars is that 94% of crashes are due to human error, right? And that humans make poor choices such as driving impaired, right? Surely, then, autonomous vehicles will give us a factor of 10 or more improvement simply by not driving stupid, right? Not so fast. That's not actually what the research data says. It's important for us to set realistic expectations for this promising new technology. Probably it's more like 50%. Let's dig deeper. ( https://bit.ly/2smqwYu /CC0 ) The US Department of Transportation publishes an impressive amount of data on traffic safety -- which is a good thing. And, sure enough, you can find the 94% number in DOT HS 812 115 Traffi