The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into Waymo after one of the company"s autonomous vehicles was involved in an incident that happened last Friday, on January 23, when it hit a child.
According to the NHTSA"s investigation filed under PE26001, a Waymo AV struck the child within two blocks of an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. The collision occurred during morning school drop-off hours, a time when the area was filled with other children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles.
The agency"s preliminary report states the child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV, which put the kid directly in the path of the approaching robotaxi.
The kid sustained minor injuries, and Waymo reported the incident the same day to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) shortly after it happened. The company then submitted its required formal report on January 28.
The NHTSA says it will be investigating whether Waymo"s AV, operated by its 5th Gen Automated Driving System (ADS), exercised "appropriate caution" in the school zone. This evaluation will examine the ADS"s intended behavior around schools, especially during hectic pick up and drop off times, and check its adherence to posted speed limits. Officials will also scrutinize Waymo"s actions immediately following the impact.
In its Waypoint blog post, Waymo said that the vehicle "braked hard" as soon as the child began to emerge from behind the SUV, cutting its speed from about 17 mph to 6 mph before making contact.
Following the collision, Waymo reports that the child stood up and walked to the sidewalk, and the company called 911. The vehicle then pulled over and waited for law enforcement to clear the scene.
Waymo also defended itself, saying that its simulations showed a "fully attentive human driver" in similar circumstances would have failed to avoid the collision, hitting the child at an estimated 14 mph. The company says it will cooperate with the NHTSA during the investigation.