On January 23, a Waymo robotaxi hit a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, according to the company. Waymo told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the child – whose age is not known – suffered minor injuries.
NHTSA has opened a Investigation in the accident, and Waymo said blog post That it would “cooperate fully with them throughout the process.”
Waymo said its robotaxi struck the child at 6 mph after braking “sharply” from about 17 mph. “The young pedestrian suddenly crossed the road from behind a tall SUV and directly into the path of our vehicle,” the company said in its blog post. Waymo said its vehicle “immediately detected the person as they began to walk out from behind the stopped vehicle.”
“After contact, the pedestrian immediately stood up, walked to the curb and we called 911. The vehicle stopped, drove to the side of the roadway, and remained there until law enforcement cleared the vehicle to leave the scene,” Waymo wrote in the post.
News of the crash comes as Waymo faces double the scrutiny over its robotaxis illegally passing school buses. NHTSA opened one Test The problem was addressed in October, shortly after the incident was first reported in Atlanta, Georgia, and the National Transportation Safety Board inaugurated its own Investigation After nearly 20 incidents were reported in Austin, Texas last week.
This story is developing…
