California, January 23 - A disturbing incident involving a self-driving robotaxi from Waymo has raised questions about safety around schools in the United States. The company confirmed that one of its vehicles struck a child, who sustained minor injuries while walking near a school in Santa Monica.
According to reports, the incident occurred at a time when children and a crossing guard were nearby, yet the 7-year-old managed to evade a double-parked SUV before stepping into the path of a Waymo Driver. The robotaxi's sensors detected the child immediately as they emerged from behind the vehicle and hard-braked to slow down significantly.
Fortunately for the child, they quickly stood up after the collision and moved to the sidewalk. The incident prompted an immediate response from emergency services, with law enforcement allowing the vehicle to leave the scene once it had been safely secured.
Waymo has reported that its vehicle was operating within its designated speed limits at the time of the incident, with speeds ranging between 17 and 6 mph. However, the company's actions have raised concerns about the safety of pedestrians in areas where self-driving vehicles are present.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the incident, which will examine whether Waymo's automated driving systems used sufficient caution around schools during drop-off hours and how the company responded to the incident. This probe is expected to focus on two specific issues: whether the vehicle's system was programmed correctly for school zone safety, and if the driver's response in this case was adequate.
The incident comes just days after Waymo's vehicles were implicated in improper passing of stationary school buses in Austin and Atlanta, prompting a voluntary software recall. The NHTSA has also opened separate investigations into these incidents, highlighting concerns about the safety and regulatory oversight of self-driving vehicle technology in the United States.
According to reports, the incident occurred at a time when children and a crossing guard were nearby, yet the 7-year-old managed to evade a double-parked SUV before stepping into the path of a Waymo Driver. The robotaxi's sensors detected the child immediately as they emerged from behind the vehicle and hard-braked to slow down significantly.
Fortunately for the child, they quickly stood up after the collision and moved to the sidewalk. The incident prompted an immediate response from emergency services, with law enforcement allowing the vehicle to leave the scene once it had been safely secured.
Waymo has reported that its vehicle was operating within its designated speed limits at the time of the incident, with speeds ranging between 17 and 6 mph. However, the company's actions have raised concerns about the safety of pedestrians in areas where self-driving vehicles are present.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the incident, which will examine whether Waymo's automated driving systems used sufficient caution around schools during drop-off hours and how the company responded to the incident. This probe is expected to focus on two specific issues: whether the vehicle's system was programmed correctly for school zone safety, and if the driver's response in this case was adequate.
The incident comes just days after Waymo's vehicles were implicated in improper passing of stationary school buses in Austin and Atlanta, prompting a voluntary software recall. The NHTSA has also opened separate investigations into these incidents, highlighting concerns about the safety and regulatory oversight of self-driving vehicle technology in the United States.
i dont think we should be worried about self-driving robotaxis crashing into kids - its just like any other normal car accident. the kid was lucky to have dodged that SUV first, who knows what would've happened if the robotaxi hadnt stopped so quick? 
and yeah, waymo's sensors did detect the kid in time... but lets be real, these self-driving cars are gonna change our lives and we need to adapt.
I guess you could say that's how it's going to be when we all have our own personal robotaxi chauffeurs... or not.
OMG, this is getting serious! 
I mean, we're talking about kids around schools and those self-driving robotaxis are supposed to be super safe... but clearly they're not 100%. The fact that a kid was able to dodge an SUV and then almost get hit by the robotaxi just shows how unpredictable this tech is. And what's with the sensors detecting the kid but not being able to stop them in time? 
I mean, I'm all for innovation and progress, but come on, let's not jump to conclusions here. A 7-year-old kid gets hit by one of these things and suddenly the whole industry is under the microscope? 
The NHTSA is right to launch an investigation, but let's not forget that these vehicles are still relatively new tech and we need some time to figure out how to make them safer. And another thing, what about the kids' parents? They're going to be up all night wondering if their child could've been hurt worse... 
. It's one thing to talk about tech advancements but what about real people, especially kids? How can we ensure these vehicles don't harm anyone? 
the tech companies need to be more responsible and prioritize human safety over innovation 
Waymo needs to step it up and make sure these things are safe for everyone, not just the people inside the vehicle. How can we trust these things when you've got a kid almost gettin' squished between two moving cars? 
This is just so frustrating! We need to make sure these robots are safe for everyone, not just some privileged kids walking near a school 
7 years old, walking near a school, and almost gets squished... it's just not right. The company is saying their speed was fine, but I don't know, man. It's like they're not taking enough responsibility for those little lives. 
. We can't afford to wait until someone gets hurt really badly before we take action 
.
And we should always be careful around schools. But at the same time, self-driving cars are getting better all the time and might make transportation safer for people. Like, waymo is trying to fix some issues with their software... 
But what if they just didn't program it right in the first place? 
I don't know, maybe we should be worried about our kids being around these things or... 
. It's not just a matter of speed limits, it's about how they're programmed to react in emergency situations. What if there was another kid on the scene? How would that robotaxi know what to do? 
. And yeah, this incident in Santa Monica doesn't help... 
I mean, they say the sensors detected him and all, but still... a 7-year-old almost got hurt?! 
. We need more regulation around self-driving vehicles, especially when it comes to schools! 
Safety should always be the top priority, not profits or whatever 
I mean, I get that tech is advancing fast but can't we take a step back and think this through? A 7-year-old had to almost get flattened by a Waymo bot just because the sensors didn't detect them properly 
. And now there's an investigation into whether their system was programmed right for school zones... like, what even is that supposed to mean? 
This incident is super scary for parents and kids... how can a self-driving robotaxi even happen to hit a child? 
and make sure these companies are taking safety protocols seriously. Kids' lives are worth so much more than any technology or innovation 
.