What is a safety driver in a self-driving car?

What a safety driver does

A safety driver sits in a self-driving test vehicle, ready to take over. California's rules call this person an autonomous vehicle test driver. The state's testing regulations describe someone in the driver's seat with the right class of license. That person must watch the road and supervise both the vehicle and its automated driving system. They must also be able to take control at any time. Companies must train these drivers, and each one needs a state permit. Among other checks, each must have held a valid license for the three years before applying.

The names vary. Reporters often say "safety operator" instead. When Tesla began rides in Austin in June 2025, an employee it called a "safety monitor" sat in the front passenger seat, TechCrunch reported. The outlet said it was unclear how much control those monitors would have.

Why watching is hard

On March 18, 2018, an Uber test vehicle controlled by a developmental automated driving system struck a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The pedestrian died. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the probable cause was the vehicle operator's failure to monitor the road and the automated system. It said she was visually distracted by her personal cell phone throughout the trip.

The board called that distraction a typical effect of automation complacency. That means paying too little attention to an automated system, usually because it rarely fails. The board also found that Uber's decision to remove a second operator from its test vehicles raised the demands on the one who remained.

Removing the safety driver

For robotaxi companies, taking the safety driver out is a key step. Waymo and Cruise historically tested with a safety operator behind the wheel and an engineer in the passenger seat, TechCrunch noted in 2025. In September 2026, TechCrunch reported that Waymo follows roughly the same plan in nearly every new city. It maps and tests first, then removes the human safety operator. After that, employees, members of the media and invited guests ride. The robotaxi cities tracker notes, where sources say so, whether a safety driver or monitor is on board.