Waymo robotaxi strikes child near school, federal probe launched

On January 23, a Waymo robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, causing minor injuries. The child stepped into the roadway from behind a parked SUV, and the vehicle, traveling at about 17 mph, detected the child and braked, reducing speed to 6 mph before impact. The child was able to walk to the sidewalk afterward, and emergency services were automatically contacted by the robotaxi. Following the incident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a formal investigation, adding to two other ongoing federal probes involving Waymo vehicles and school-zone safety concerns. The incident underscores the challenges autonomous vehicles face in school zones, where children’s unpredictable movements and occluded visibility from parked vehicles complicate safe navigation. Regulators are scrutinizing whether Waymo’s system responded appropriately compared to human drivers under similar conditions. This event, alongside other investigations—such as a Waymo robotaxi passing a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended in Atlanta and multiple