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RobotRisk / Waymo / 2026-01-23

Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens probe

S3 · 01/23
2026 · Waymo · Santa Monica, CA, USA

Record

CompanyWaymo
Categoryav trucking
Typeinjury
Date01/23
2026
Time of daynot documented
LocationSanta Monica, CA, USA · Near elementary school
SeverityS3 (recall, enforcement, or fleet-wide fault)
Scale1 child injured
Confidencehigh
VerificationCited source on file; not independently re-verified
SourceCNBC

What happened

A child ran into the roadway from behind a double-parked SUV near a school; the unoccupied Waymo braked hard from about 17mph to under 6mph before contact, causing minor injuries to the child. NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opened a preliminary investigation on Jan 29, 2026 into the automated driving system behavior near school zones.

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3206412024 S1: 42024 S2: 52024 S3: 312242025 S1: 52025 S2: 4942025 S3: 82025 S4: 12025 S5: 3511252026 S1: 12026 S2: 6182026 S3: 162026 S4: 42026 S5: 264126
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3496982016 S5: 11162018 S5: 11182019 S5: 11192021 S1: 11212022 S2: 12022 S3: 32022 S5: 15222023 S1: 12023 S2: 12023 S3: 32023 S4: 42023 S5: 211232024 S1: 42024 S2: 92024 S3: 72024 S4: 22024 S5: 426242025 S1: 62025 S2: 5362025 S3: 132025 S4: 42025 S5: 4563252026 S1: 22026 S2: 6582026 S3: 312026 S4: 42026 S5: 369826
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Comparable injury events in av trucking

SevDateCompanyEvent
S42026-07-27WaymoWoman critically injured in two-car crash involving Waymo vehicle in Los Angeles
S22026-01-17ZooxZoox robotaxi strikes opening car door, injures driver in San Francisco
S12025-12WaymoWaymo self-driving vehicle strikes dog in San Francisco
S22025-05-08ZooxZoox robotaxi collides with e-scooter rider
S42025-02-16WaymoWaymo robotaxi passenger-door opening severely injures cyclist, lawsuit claims
S42024-11-14CruiseCruise admits false report after robotaxi dragged pedestrian in San Francisco
S22024-02-06WaymoWaymo robotaxi collides with cyclist in San Francisco's Potrero Hill
S42023-10-02CruiseCruise robotaxi drags pedestrian 20 feet after hit-and-run in San Francisco

Other Waymo entries

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