Orange County on the Map: Why Are Self-Driving Accidents Rising Locally?
Self-driving cars promised safer roads, but Orange County residents are seeing a different reality. Waymo accidents in California jumped to 454 incidents between 2021 and 2024, with Los Angeles County accounting for 78 of those crashes. That number doesn’t include the dozens more that have already happened in 2025.
Recent data shows these accidents are increasing each year, with 462 Waymo incidents reported in 2024 alone. Nearly four times more than in 2023. While companies like Waymo claim their technology is safer than human drivers, the rising crash numbers in our local area tell a more concerning story. Many of these accidents result in real injuries to real people who need real help with mounting medical costs and lost wages.
If you’ve been hurt in a crash involving a self-driving car in Orange County, you’re facing questions that didn’t exist just a few years ago. Who pays for your medical bills when there’s no human driver to blame? How do you prove fault against a computer algorithm? Under California law, you still have the right to compensation for your injuries, but getting it requires understanding how liability works with self-driving technology.
At William D. Shapiro Law, Inc., our California car accident lawyers can help you recover compensation after a self-driving car accident. Don’t let technology companies avoid responsibility for your injuries while you’re stuck with medical bills and lost wages. Call us at 909-890-1000 now.
Why Self-Driving Accidents Are Rising in Orange County
Unfortunately, self-driving car accidents are rising in Orange County. Over the last few years, Waymo expanded its California operations to include greater Los Angeles County. During that time, self-driving car accidents rose. Waymo reported 462 accidents in 2024 compared to just 123 in 2023. Several factors contribute to this rise in local accidents:
Technology Limitations in Real-World Conditions
Self-driving cars struggle with situations that human drivers handle instinctively. Construction zones, emergency vehicles, and unusual weather patterns can confuse sensors and software. Orange County’s mix of busy freeways, beach communities, and suburban neighborhoods creates countless scenarios that programmers never anticipated.
Increased Use Without Proven Safety
Companies like Waymo are putting more vehicles on the road before fully proving their safety. These companies do plenty of testing on closed courses, but real life isn’t always like testing environments. Without proven safety in real-world situations, Orange County residents are at risk of suffering serious injury in self-driving car crashes.
Infrastructure Challenges
Many local roads lack the clear lane markings and consistent signage that autonomous vehicles need to function properly. Older sections of Orange County have road conditions that can trick sensors, leading to sudden stops, unexpected lane changes, or failure to detect pedestrians and cyclists.
Common Types of Self-Driving Car Accidents in Orange County
Based on recent incident reports, certain accident patterns keep repeating in our area:
- Rear-End Collisions: Autonomous vehicles often brake suddenly when their sensors detect something the human eye might not consider dangerous. This catches the following drivers off guard, resulting in rear-end crashes. While the self-driving car might not be “at fault” legally, these situations rarely occurred before autonomous vehicles entered the mix.
- Intersection Accidents: Self-driving cars struggle with complex intersection decisions, especially during peak traffic hours, which are common throughout Orange County. They may hesitate too long at green lights, fail to properly judge gap timing, or misread the intentions of other drivers trying to turn.
- Lane Change Incidents: Autonomous vehicles sometimes make abrupt lane changes without properly accounting for human driver behavior. They might cut off motorcycles, merge into occupied spaces, or fail to signal appropriately for California traffic conditions.
- Pedestrian and Cyclist Encounters: Orange County’s pedestrian-friendly areas, like Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and downtown districts, present unique challenges. Self-driving cars may not properly identify pedestrians emerging from behind parked cars or cyclists traveling in bike lanes.
Who Pays When a Self-Driving Car Hurts You?
This is where things get complicated, but California law still protects your right to compensation. Multiple parties might be responsible for your injuries, including:
- The technology company (such as Waymo)
- The vehicle manufacturer
- Other drivers
- Government entities
When Waymo’s software makes a poor decision or fails to detect a hazard properly, the company should be held liable for your damages. This includes medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage.
Sometimes the car itself has mechanical problems unrelated to the self-driving technology. Brake failures, steering malfunctions, or other vehicle defects could make the car manufacturer responsible under California product liability laws.
Get Help From Our Southern California Car Accident Lawyers
If you’ve been injured in a self-driving car accident in Orange County, you need legal representation that understands both traditional accident law and the emerging issues around autonomous vehicles. You need William D. Shapiro Law, Inc.
Whether it’s a software glitch, sensor failure, or poor road conditions that confused the AI, you shouldn’t have to pay the price for someone else’s technology experiment. California law protects your rights, and experienced legal representation can help you get the compensation you deserve while these companies perfect their technology on our roads.
Our accident attorneys in San Bernardino have been serving Southern California for over 40 years. Simply call our law firm at (909) 890-1000 or fill out our confidential contact form today to schedule a free consultation.
William Shapiro has handled catastrophic injury/wrongful death actions for over 4 decades obtaining numerous seven and eight-figure verdicts and settlements. Honors include: 2022, 2016 and 2013 OCTLA “Top Gun” TLY; 2022 CAOC TLY Finalist; 2018 “Lifetime Achievement Award” Western State College of Law, 2021 & 2017 Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year; 2016 WSBCBA “TLY”; 2015 CAL-ABOTA “TLY”; 2014 “TLY” Consumer Attorneys of CAOIE; 2011 “Hall of Fame,” Western State College of Law; Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; International Academy of Trial Lawyers; International Society of Barristers; Diplomat, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA); National Board of Trial Advocacy; specialist in Trial Advocacy, State Bar of California; “Best Lawyers in America” and “Tier 1 Best Law Firms” U.S. News; AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell; SuperLawyers; Past President of: San Bernardino/Riverside chapter ABOTA; San Bernardino County Bar Association; Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire; The Joseph. B. Campbell American Inn of Court; Consumer Attorneys of California; IE ; National Sec of ABOTA, Adjunct professor, Western State College of Law. Learn more here.