NHTSA has launched a preliminary probe after a Waymo self-driving vehicle struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica on Jan. 23, causing minor injuries. Waymo says the child suddenly entered the roadway from behind a double-parked SUV and that its vehicle slowed from about 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact. Regulators will review the vehicle's behavior in school zones, speed adherence and post-impact response. The inquiry follows separate probes and a December recall of over 3,000 Waymo vehicles related to school-bus incidents.
NHTSA Probes After Waymo Self-Driving Car Strikes Child Near Santa Monica School
A Waymo driverless vehicle at Bronx Community College in the Bronx Borough of New York City , U.S., October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation after a Waymo autonomous vehicle struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, on January 23. The child suffered minor injuries.
According to NHTSA, the child ran from behind a double-parked SUV across the street toward the school during normal drop-off hours. The agency said there were other children, a crossing guard and multiple double-parked vehicles in the vicinity when the incident occurred.
What Waymo Says
Waymo, an Alphabet unit, said it will cooperate with the investigation. In a company blog post, Waymo stated the child "suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle's path." The company added that its vehicle detected the pedestrian as the child began to emerge, applied hard braking and reduced speed from about 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made.
Waymo: "A computer model suggested a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph. After the collision, the child stood up immediately, walked to the sidewalk, and Waymo called 911."
What NHTSA Will Examine
NHTSA said the preliminary evaluation will review whether the Waymo vehicle exercised appropriate caution given its proximity to an elementary school during drop-off hours and the presence of young pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The agency plans to examine the vehicle's intended behavior in school zones and adjacent areas, including adherence to posted speed limits, and will investigate Waymo's post-impact response.
Related Investigations And Recall
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of Waymo's operations. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened a separate investigation the same day into reports that Waymo robotaxis illegally passed stopped school buses in Austin, Texas, at least 19 times since the start of the school year. In December, Waymo recalled more than 3,000 vehicles to update software that had caused some vehicles to drive past stopped school buses while students were boarding or disembarking. NHTSA previously opened a probe in October into Waymo vehicles' behavior around school buses.
Waymo has said none of the bus-related incidents resulted in collisions. The Austin Independent School District reported multiple post-update incidents and asked Waymo to stop operating around schools during pick-up and drop-off times until safety could be assured.
This NHTSA evaluation will determine whether further action or recalls are needed and will inform regulators' assessment of autonomous vehicle safety around schools and other sensitive zones.
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