In a recent incident raising concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles, a Waymo driverless car struck a child near a Santa Monica elementary school. The event, which happened on January 23, occurred during the bustling morning school drop-off period, a chaotic scene marked by other students, crossing guards, and numerous double-parked cars.
According to KTLA, the vehicle was in motion towards the school when the child emerged from behind an SUV and was hit. Waymo's internal report claims the vehicle significantly decreased its speed from 17 mph to under 6 mph before the collision. As Waymo stated on their blog, "The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made." The company emphasized that its technology managed to mitigate the impact, potentially saving the child from more severe injuries. However, the incident has prompted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to examine Waymo's safety measures and post-accident protocols, given the AV's operation in an environment dense with young pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
The NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation, as revealed in their own document described by CNBC and available on the NHTSA website, to scrutinize whether the Waymo vehicle exercised the necessary precautions, especially as it operated without a human safety supervisor. The probe by the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is also looking into Waymo's response after the impact, which involved calling 911 and remaining at the scene until law enforcement allowed the vehicle to depart.
Simultaneously, the NHTSA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating numerous incidents involving Waymo robotaxis and school buses. In a separate but related event in Los Angeles reported by NBC Los Angeles on January 25, a Waymo vehicle in manual mode struck multiple parked cars. While there were no injuries reported from this incident, it raises additional concerns about Waymo's vehicles' behavior and safety on public roads.
Waymo, in a bid for transparency amid these inquiries, has cooperated with the authorities, supplying data and a detailed account of the Santa Monica incident. In the company's words, shared in a post-incident blog entry, "Our technology immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle." The child involved in the Santa Monica collision reportedly sustained minor injuries and was able to stand and move to the sidewalk immediately after the event. Investigations by federal agencies are ongoing to ensure all aspects of the situation are thoroughly reviewed and to inform potential improvements in autonomous vehicle safety protocols.
