California requires all companies that test self-driving cars on public roads in the state to report miles driven and the number of "disengagements," or times a human driver takes over control. Cruise co-founder and CTO Kyle Vogt believes this reporting method is a poor metric for comparing companies, and is causing companies to test and demo in easier environments in order to reduce reported disengagements. In a post on Medium, Vogt says that at Cruise, disengagements are sometimes used as a courtesy to other drivers, or as a cautious reaction from the driver to a situation that could have been handled by the vehicle. He explains, "Have you ever been in the backseat of a human-driven car and felt the urge to grab the wheel when something crazy happens on the road? Autonomous vehicle (AV) companies need to be extra careful when it comes to safety, as well as the perception of safety. AVs working correctly is not news, but disengagements, running red lights, and crashes are very much news that could affect the perception of AV safety, independent of their actual safety record. This leads to the well-controlled demos that Vogt takes issue with. "Companies carefully curate demo routes, avoid urban areas with cyclists and pedestrians, constrain geofences and pickup/dropoff locations, and limit the kinds of maneuvers the AV will attempt during the ride -- all in order to limit the number of disengagements.