Hustler Words – An autonomous Waymo vehicle was involved in a collision with a child pedestrian near an elementary school in Santa Monica on January 23rd, the company confirmed. The incident, which resulted in minor injuries to the unidentified minor, has prompted a federal investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Waymo has publicly committed to full cooperation with the NHTSA’s ongoing inquiry. According to the company’s detailed blog post, the self-driving car was traveling at approximately 17 miles per hour before executing a "hard" brake, ultimately making contact with the child at 6 mph. The company’s account states that the young pedestrian "suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle’s path," adding that the system "immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge."
Following the impact, Waymo reported that the child immediately stood up and walked to the sidewalk. Emergency services were contacted, and the autonomous vehicle remained stationary before moving to the side of the road, where it stayed until law enforcement cleared the scene.
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This latest incident casts a further shadow over Waymo’s operations, as the company is already grappling with two separate federal investigations. The NHTSA initiated a probe in October following reports of Waymo robotaxis improperly passing school buses in Atlanta, Georgia. Concurrently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched its own investigation last week, prompted by approximately 20 similar incidents reported in Austin, Texas.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation is specifically examining whether the Waymo autonomous vehicle (AV) demonstrated adequate caution, considering its proximity to an elementary school during active drop-off hours and the evident presence of young pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The collision occurred "within two blocks" of the school, precisely during "normal school drop off hours," with "other children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles in the vicinity," as noted by the safety regulator.
In its defense, Waymo cited a "peer-reviewed model" suggesting that a fully attentive human driver, under identical circumstances, would have made contact with the pedestrian at an estimated speed of 14 mph, significantly higher than the 6 mph reported for its AV. However, the company has not yet released a specific, detailed analysis pertaining to this particular crash.
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