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Proponents of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology have long argued that robotaxis and other self-driving vehicles will reduce crashes and make roads safer. And there is some evidence to support that. But this progress hasn’t come without a cost—especially for those who work—or have worked—for the companies developing the technology.
Sean O’Kane, senior reporter for special projects, dug into data submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and found that test drivers for Waymo and Zoox sustained more than two dozen injuries in 2024 and 2025 from hard braking or other sudden movements made by the autonomous vehicles. In some cases, workers were sidelined for months after suffering injuries like whiplash when the AVs stopped abruptly and hard.
Check out his full story, which includes interviews with former and current workers.
One important consideration: You might ask, “What about other AV developers? Surely this isn’t isolated to Waymo and Zoox?” And you’d likely be right. Test drivers for other AV developers are probably also getting injured, but the companies they work for may be exempt from OSHA’s reporting requirements.
Got a tip for us on this story or others? Email Kirsten Korosec at [email protected] or on Signal at kkorosec.07—or Sean O’Kane at [email protected].
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I’ve been writing about Gatik, the autonomous vehicle startup known for its self-driving box trucks, since it came out of “stealth” in 2019. At the time, I wasn’t sure if the startup would survive. The hype cycle was already chewing up and spitting out AV startups, and no one seemed close to commercializing their tech. But by 2026, Gatik has emerged as a leader in middle-mile logistics, with commercial deployments across North America—a testament to how far the industry has come, and how far it still has to go.
via TechCrunch