The research, which analysed 25.3 million miles driven by Waymo's autonomous cars, found a striking 88 per cent drop in property damage claims and a 92 per cent reduction in bodily injury claims compared to vehicles driven by humans.

These figures are based on liability claims data from over 500,000 insurance claims encompassing more than 200 billion miles driven by human-operated cars. 

The findings were hailed as evidence of the safety advantages of autonomous technology. "Waymo Driver demonstrated better safety performance when compared to human-driven vehicles," Swiss Re reported in its study, which was highlighted by technology publication *Engadget*. 

Swiss Re developed an additional metric for evaluating the Waymo Driver's performance, comparing it not only against the general population of human-driven cars but also against newer vehicles equipped with advanced safety technologies such as driver assistance, automated emergency braking, and blind spot warning systems. 

Even under this more stringent comparison, Waymo's autonomous vehicles showed an 86 per cent reduction in property damage claims and a 90 per cent decrease in bodily injury claims. 

The implications for the insurance industry are significant, with Swiss Re’s findings suggesting that the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could substantially reduce the cost of insurance claims. Insurers could benefit from these improved safety metrics while encouraging broader deployment of autonomous technology. 

Waymo, which has long touted the safety benefits of its self-driving technology, welcomed the findings. The company has steadily expanded its autonomous ride-hailing and delivery services in the US, recently obtaining permission to operate fully driverless vehicles in San Francisco.