NHTSA investigating report of Waymo striking child at low speed near Santa Monica school

Federal investigators are looking into a report of a Waymo automated vehicle striking a child near an elementary school this month in Santa Monica.

The child Jan. 23 incident occurred within two blocks of the school during school drop-off hours, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said. Waymo submitted a report to the agency that indicated other children, a crossing guard and several double-parked vehicles were in the area.

The child ran into the street behind a double-parked SUV and was struck by the automated vehicle, according to the NHTSA. Santa Monica police said the low-speed collision was near 24th Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to Grant Elementary School.

The student, who was not injured, was not in a crosswalk and away from the crossing guard, police said.

The car was operated by the company’s automated driving systema without a safety operator.

In a statement, NHTSA said its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation.

“ODI has opened this Preliminary Evaluation to investigate whether the Waymo AV exercised appropriate caution given, among other things, its proximity to the elementary school during drop off hours, and the presence of young pedestrians and other potential vulnerable road users,” the agency said in the statement. “ODI expects that its investigation will examine the ADS’s intended behavior in school zones and neighboring areas, especially during normal school pick up/drop off times, including but not limited to its adherence to posted speed limits. ODI will also investigate Waymo’s post-impact response.”

In a post on its blog, Waymo said the company called 911 and contacted NHTSA after the vehicle “made contact” with the child.

“The event occurred when the pedestrian suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle’s path,” Waymo said. “Our technology immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle. The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made.

“To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model shows that a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph. This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver.”

The car remained at the scene and moved to the side of the road, remaining there until law enforcement arrived, Waymo said.