CALIFORNIA – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation on January 28 after a Waymo autonomous vehicle struck a child near a school.

According to the preliminary evaluation, the incident occurred within two blocks of a Santa Monica elementary school during normal school drop-off hours.

Other children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles were in the vicinity. The child ran into the street from behind a double-parked SUV toward the school and was struck by a Waymo autonomous vehicle.

Waymo reported that the child sustained minor injuries.

At the time of the incident, the Waymo AV was operating under Waymo’s fifth-generation automated driving system, with no safety operator present.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is examining whether the Waymo AV exercised appropriate caution, given its proximity to the elementary school during drop-off hours and the presence of young pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

ODI will review the Waymo vehicle’s behavior in school zones and surrounding areas during pick-up and drop-off hours, including compliance with speed limits.

Waymo called 911

In a blog post, Waymo shared details of the event, citing its commitment to transparency in reporting incidents.

Waymo said its system detected the child and slowed the vehicle from roughly 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact occurred.

“To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model shows that a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph,” the company said.

After contact, the child stood up and walked to the sidewalk, and Waymo called 911, the company said.

The vehicle remained stopped at the roadside until law enforcement cleared it to leave.

Other incidents involving Waymo vehicles

The Santa Monica collision follows other recent incidents involving Waymo vehicles that have drawn public attention. 

In November, a Waymo robotaxi struck and killed a small dog in San Francisco.

More recently, video circulated online showing a Waymo vehicle driving through an active police standoff in downtown Los Angeles, navigating past emergency vehicles and officers during a felony stop.

Waymo said it remains committed to improving road safety where it operates and continues its mission to be the world’s most trusted driver.