The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a preliminary evaluation into an incident involving a Waymo self-driving vehicle that collided with a child in Santa Monica, California. The event occurred on 23 January during normal school drop-off hours, resulting in minor injuries to the child.
Details of the Santa Monica Incident
According to the NHTSA, the child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV towards an elementary school in Santa Monica. The Waymo autonomous vehicle was operating in the area at the time and struck the child. The agency noted that the vicinity included other children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles, highlighting a complex urban environment.
Regulatory Focus on School Zone Safety
The investigation will specifically examine whether the Waymo vehicle exercised appropriate caution given its proximity to the elementary school during drop-off hours. The NHTSA plans to assess the vehicle's intended behavior in school zones and neighboring areas, particularly during school pick-up and drop-off times. Key aspects under scrutiny include adherence to posted speed limits and the vehicle's post-impact response protocols.
In a blog post, Waymo stated that its autonomous system, known as the "Waymo Driver," braked hard upon detecting the child, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made. The company claimed that, based on peer-reviewed models, a fully attentive human driver in the same situation would have made contact at about 14 mph, suggesting its technology may have mitigated the severity of the impact.
Broader Safety Concerns and Additional Investigations
This incident has prompted broader safety reviews, with the NHTSA also opening an investigation into how Waymo vehicles approach school buses. Multiple schools have reported incidents where autonomous vehicles failed to stop or fully slow down as children were being dropped off, raising alarms about the readiness of self-driving technology in high-risk pedestrian areas.
Implications for Autonomous Vehicle Deployment
The probe comes at a critical time as companies like Waymo expand their operations, including planned rollouts in cities such as London. The incident underscores ongoing challenges in ensuring the safety of autonomous vehicles, especially in unpredictable urban settings with vulnerable road users like children. Regulators are emphasising the need for robust testing and compliance with safety standards to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Waymo has reported that after the impact, the child stood up and walked to the sidewalk, and the autonomous car moved to the side of the road. However, the NHTSA's investigation will delve deeper into the technological and operational factors at play, potentially influencing future regulations and public trust in self-driving cars.
