Waymo Faces Renewed Scrutiny as Child Struck in Santa Monica Incident; Company Cites Speed Reduction
Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle unit, Waymo, is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) following an incident where one of its driverless vehicles struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, on January 23rd. The child sustained minor injuries in the collision.
The incident occurred during typical school drop-off hours, within two blocks of an elementary school. According to NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation documents, the child emerged from behind a double-parked SUV and ran into the street, at which point the Waymo vehicle made contact. This marks a critical point of examination for regulators, who are assessing whether the autonomous vehicle (AV) exercised adequate caution given its proximity to the school and the presence of young pedestrians.
The Waymo vehicle involved was operating with its fifth-generation Automated Driving System, without a human safety operator on board. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigations will scrutinize the AV’s behavior in school zones and surrounding areas, particularly during peak traffic times for student arrivals and departures, as well as Waymo’s response following the incident.
Waymo has stated that its system detected the child as they emerged from behind the parked vehicle and that the AV braked significantly, reducing its speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact. The company emphasized that a fully attentive human driver in the same scenario would likely have made contact at a higher speed, around 14 mph, and that this speed reduction demonstrates a material safety benefit of their technology. Waymo also reported that the pedestrian was able to stand up immediately and that the company contacted emergency services and cooperated with law enforcement at the scene.
This event adds to a series of recent regulatory concerns for Waymo. On January 25th, a Waymo vehicle in Los Angeles, operating in manual mode with a human specialist at the wheel, reportedly struck several parked cars. While no injuries were reported, the vehicle was observed to have been speeding on a residential street. Waymo has not provided an explanation for how the vehicle ended up exceeding the speed limit in that instance.
Furthermore, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently launched an investigation into reports of Waymo AVs illegally passing stopped school buses in multiple locations. The Austin Independent School District has identified at least 19 such incidents, prompting a demand for Waymo to suspend its driverless operations during school bus hours in Austin until these safety concerns are addressed. NHTSA had previously initiated its own investigation into Waymo’s ADS performance around stopped school buses and its adherence to relevant traffic laws.
While both NHTSA and NTSB serve as vital safety oversight bodies, their functions differ. NHTSA sets and enforces safety standards for vehicles, while NTSB investigates transportation accidents to determine their root causes and provide safety recommendations to regulators and industry stakeholders. These ongoing investigations underscore the complex challenges and intense scrutiny surrounding the rapid deployment of autonomous vehicle technology in public spaces.
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