Waymo robotaxi hits child near elementary school in Santa Monica

The incident occurred on January 23: the car braked sharply but still struck a young pedestrian who suddenly ran onto the road from behind a parked SUV. Fortunately, the injuries were minor, and the child was able to walk away from the roadway.

The car stopped, called emergency services, and remained at the scene until police arrived.

Two federal agencies immediately launched an investigation — they are interested in whether the system was cautious enough near a school zone with many children. Meanwhile, Waymo claims that the «ideal human driver» in such a situation could have hit the child even harder.