A self-driving vehicle operated by Waymo LLC struck a 9-year-old pedestrian near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, on January 23, 2026, prompting federal investigations into the incident.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the unoccupied 2024 Jaguar I-Pace, equipped with Waymo's fifth-generation automated driving system, had just completed a passenger drop-off near the school and was traveling north on 24th Street at about 8:30 a.m. when the child exited a parked vehicle in a queue of cars, moved toward the front of it, and crossed the roadway from behind a parked SUV. The Waymo vehicle was traveling 17 mph and braked hard, slowing to under 6 mph before making contact with the child. The child fell, then stood up and walked to the curb without requiring medical transport, the NTSB said.
A Waymo remote assistance employee contacted 911 following the collision, and the vehicle remained stopped at the scene until police arrived. Waymo said the vehicle detected the pedestrian as soon as she began emerging from behind the SUV and that the company's own modeling suggested a fully attentive human driver would have struck the child at a higher speed, around 14 mph.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defect Investigations opened a preliminary evaluation on January 28 to examine whether the vehicle exercised appropriate caution given its proximity to a school during drop-off hours. The NTSB opened a separate parallel investigation the same week. Both remain ongoing, with no probable cause yet determined.
Source: Automotive Testing Technology International - https://www.automotivetestingtechnologyinternational.com/news/adas-cavs/nhtsa-opens-investigation-after-waymo-self-driving-vehicle-strikes-child-in-santa-monica.html