A Waymo robotaxi struck a child in Santa Monica, California, last week, triggering a new investigation by federal safety regulators. The incident happened on January 23 near a school during the busy morning drop-off hours while a crossing guard was on duty.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the child ran into the street from behind a double-parked SUV and into the path of the self-driving car. Waymo reported that its system detected the child immediately as they appeared. The car braked hard, slowing from 17 mph to less than 6 mph before the impact occurred. Fortunately, the child sustained only minor injuries and was able to stand up and move to the sidewalk right away. Waymo employees contacted emergency services, and the vehicle stayed put until law enforcement allowed it to leave.
Now, the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation is looking into the crash. Investigators want to determine if the Waymo software uses enough caution in school zones. The probe will specifically look at how the automated system is designed to behave around schools, particularly during the high-traffic times when parents are dropping off or picking up their children.
This accident adds to a growing list of legal and safety headaches for the company. On the same day as the Santa Monica crash, the National Transportation Safety Board began investigating reports of Waymo vehicles improperly passing school buses in Austin, Texas. This follows a voluntary software recall Waymo issued last month after federal regulators raised concerns about its cars driving past stationary school buses in both Austin and Atlanta.
While Waymo continues to push its driverless services into more cities, these repeated incidents are putting its technology under a microscope. Government officials are now questioning whether these AI-driven cars can safely handle the unpredictable actions of people—especially children—in crowded neighborhoods.
