{"id":1401063,"date":"2026-01-29T11:32:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1401063&preview=true&preview_id=1401063"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:34:40","slug":"waymo-robotaxi-hits-child-at-school-drop-off-triggering-safety-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/01\/29\/waymo-robotaxi-hits-child-at-school-drop-off-triggering-safety-inquiry\/","title":{"rendered":"Waymo robotaxi hits child at school drop-off, triggering safety inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ian Duncan and Lisa Bonos, The Washington Post<\/p>\n

A Waymo autonomous vehicle hit a child near a Santa Monica elementary school last week, the company and federal regulators said Thursday.<\/p>\n

The crash happened during the school\u2019s drop-off time on Jan. 23. The child ran into the street from behind a double-parked SUV, officials said. The Waymo detected the child and braked, slowing itself to 6 mph before impact, the company said in a blog post outlining the incident.<\/p>\n

The company, part of Google parent Alphabet, said the child walked to the sidewalk and Waymo called 911. The victim was not identified.<\/p>\n

The safety of autonomous vehicles is under intense scrutiny as Waymo and its competitors deploy robotic taxis to cities across the country. Waymo has established itself as the industry leader, expanding into more cities last year and preparing to launch in others over the coming months. The company says it provided 15 million rides last year.<\/p>\n

The company says its data shows that its systems reduce injury-causing crashes by 81 percent, although it has still driven relatively few miles compared with humans.<\/p>\n