Waymo & Zoox Robotaxi Test Drivers Suffer Sprains, Whiplash As Fleets Scale

Robotaxis are designed to take humans out of the driver’s seat, yet the people helping test them are reportedly getting hurt along the way.

Test drivers working with Waymo and Zoox suffered 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 data reviewed by TechCrunch.
 

Robotaxi Test Driver Injuries At Waymo And Zoox: TL;DR

 

• Test drivers suffered sprains, strains, whiplash, and other injuries during autonomous vehicle testing.
• Transdev reported 16 injuries linked to Waymo depot locations across three cities.
• Zoox reported as many as eight worker injuries tied to hard braking.
• Current and former Zoox contractors said abrupt braking and worker injuries continued into July.

 

Waymo Test Drivers Reported 16 Injuries Linked To Sudden Robotaxi Movements

The workers affected are test drivers who operate autonomous vehicles on public roads as companies validate and refine their self-driving systems.

According to OSHA data, Transdev, which employs and manages Waymo’s test drivers, reported 16 injuries connected to Waymo depot locations in three cities. The 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.

Waymo declined to answer questions about the injuries submitted to OSHA.

“The safety of our riders, road users, and team is of paramount importance,” Waymo told TechCrunch. “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.”

Transdev declined to comment.
 

 

Zoox Contractors Say Hard-Braking Incidents Continued Into July

Zoox reported as many as eight injuries linked to hard braking, but the issue 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. Three of the contractors said workers were still being injured.

Zoox 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. It also said 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.
 

 

OSHA Data May Not Show The Full Scale Of Robotaxi Worker Injuries

The available 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. Public reporting also applies only to establishments with at least 100 employees in these categories.

That means injuries involving smaller or newer autonomous vehicle operations may not appear in the public data.

It also 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.