Test drivers working with Waymo and Zoox have reported more than two dozen injuries across 2024 and 2025 after autonomous vehicles braked hard, swerved suddenly, or made other abrupt movements, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data. These incidents highlight a hidden cost of developing self-driving technology: the people behind the wheel during testing are experiencing real physical harm as companies refine their autonomous systems on public roads.

How Many Test Drivers Have Been Injured at Waymo and Zoox?

The injury data paints a concerning picture of robotaxi development. Transdev, the company that employs and manages Waymo's test drivers, reported 16 injuries connected to Waymo depot locations across three cities. These incidents were attributed to autonomous software braking hard or suddenly swerving. The resulting injuries included sprains, strains, and whiplash, with some workers reportedly unable to work for weeks or even months.

Zoox reported as many as eight injuries linked to hard braking incidents. However, the problem may not have stopped with last year's OSHA filings. Two current and three former Zoox contractors told TechCrunch that modified Toyota Highlander SUVs equipped with the company's self-driving system were still braking hard and abruptly as recently as July, with three of the contractors saying workers were still being injured.

What Are Companies Saying About These Injuries?

When asked about the injuries, Waymo declined to directly address the OSHA reports but emphasized its commitment to safety. The company stated that "the safety of our riders, road users, and team is of paramount importance" and noted that "as part of the process of responsibly deploying fully autonomous vehicles, we have driven tens of millions of miles with human operators behind the wheel. This is part of our ongoing validation process and learnings from these trips are integrated into the service".

Zoox similarly declined to address specific questions about the previously reported injuries or contractors' claims about continuing hard-braking problems. The company said it follows required reporting procedures and takes injuries seriously, adding that some hard-braking incidents are unavoidable and that last year's reported injuries represented a small percentage of the millions of miles covered by its test fleet.

Why Might the Full Scale of Injuries Be Underreported?

The available OSHA figures may not capture every injury across the autonomous vehicle industry. Waymo and Zoox appear in the dataset because their operations are classified as taxi, limousine, or transit services, which OSHA considers higher-hazard industries with additional disclosure requirements. However, public reporting only applies to establishments with at least 100 employees in these categories. This means injuries involving smaller or newer autonomous vehicle operations may not appear in the public data.

Additionally, it remains unclear whether Waymo or Transdev recorded additional injuries in 2026, since OSHA annual injury data is not required to be submitted until the following year. The gap between when injuries occur and when they are publicly disclosed creates a lag in understanding the true scope of worker safety issues in the robotaxi industry.

Steps to Understanding Robotaxi Worker Safety Concerns

• Injury Types: Test drivers have experienced sprains, strains, whiplash, and other injuries caused by autonomous vehicles making abrupt movements, with some workers unable to work for weeks or months.
• Reporting Gaps: OSHA data only captures injuries from companies classified as taxi or transit services with at least 100 employees, meaning smaller autonomous vehicle operations may not be included in public records.
• Ongoing Issues: Contractors reported that hard-braking incidents continued into July 2026, suggesting that the problem persists even as companies claim to be refining their systems through testing.
• Company Responses: Both Waymo and Zoox have declined to directly address specific injury reports, instead emphasizing their commitment to safety and the millions of miles their test fleets have covered.

The tension between rapid autonomous vehicle deployment and worker safety reflects a broader challenge in the robotaxi industry. Companies are racing to validate their self-driving systems on public roads, but the people conducting these tests are absorbing the physical consequences of software that is still learning to navigate complex driving scenarios. As Waymo and Zoox continue to expand their operations, the question of how to protect test drivers while advancing autonomous technology remains largely unanswered.