Glossary
Safety monitor
A company employee who rides in a self-driving vehicle to watch it and intervene if needed.
During testing and early service, autonomous vehicle companies often place an employee in the vehicle. A safety driver sits behind the wheel and can take control directly. A safety monitor may sit in another seat with more limited controls, such as an emergency stop.
Removing the person on board is a milestone companies highlight, because it means the system is trusted to operate alone within its service area.
When a company reports safety figures, check whether miles and incidents with an employee on board are included or excluded, since the employee may have prevented some crashes.
Read more: our explainer