A Waymo driverless car hit a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica last week, and federal safety investigators opened an investigation. Waymo’s fleet now includes 700 autonomous vehicles operating throughout West Hollywood and West LA.
The Jan. 23 incident involved a child who ran into the street from behind a parked SUV during school drop-off hours. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed it’s now looking into the crash. The child got minor injuries.
West Hollywood residents have been sharing streets with Waymo’s autonomous vehicles since the company launched service in the Los Angeles area back in November 2024. The robotaxis operate throughout West LA, including Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood—roughly 700 vehicles across more than 120 square miles.
What happened in Santa Monica
The crash happened within two blocks of an elementary school around drop-off time. A crossing guard was on duty. Other children were nearby. Several cars sat double-parked along the street.
The child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV toward the school and was struck by the Waymo vehicle. No one sat in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was running completely autonomous on Waymo’s 5th Generation Automated Driving System.
Waymo said its system spotted the child “as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle.” The car braked hard, dropping speed from about 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact.
The company compared that to what would’ve happened with a human driver. Waymo claims a fully attentive person in the same situation would’ve hit the child at around 14 mph.
“This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver,” the company said in a statement.
After the collision, the child stood up right away, walked to the sidewalk, and Waymo called 911. The vehicle stayed put until law enforcement cleared it to leave.
What investigators want to know
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigations plans to assess whether the Waymo vehicle exercised appropriate caution given the proximity to the elementary school during drop-off, and whether the system properly accounted for young pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in the area.
The investigation will look at how Waymo’s driverless vehicles are supposed to behave in school zones and nearby streets, especially during pick-up and drop-off times. Investigators also want to understand Waymo’s response after the impact.
Human drivers crash too
Pedestrian crashes aren’t unique to autonomous vehicles. A man was hit by an Uber driver in November at Santa Monica Boulevard and Martel in West Hollywood. He was already in the crosswalk, walking west, when the car turned left and struck him.
Human error causes the vast majority of traffic crashes. The question NHTSA is trying to answer is whether autonomous vehicles improve safety or introduce new risks.
More problems for Waymo
This wasn’t Waymo’s only incident last week.
On Jan. 25 in Los Angeles, one of the company’s Zeekr vehicles sped through a one-way residential street near Dodger Stadium and hit several parked cars. One of those cars had someone sitting in it. No injuries were reported.
That vehicle had a human specialist behind the wheel operating it in manual mode. Waymo didn’t explain how the car ended up speeding.
The company already faces regulatory scrutiny over its robotaxis passing stopped school buses. Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation after reports of Waymo vehicles illegally passing school buses in multiple locations around Austin, Texas.
Waymo’s West Hollywood presence
Waymo expanded into West Hollywood as part of its November 2024 launch across West LA. The company now operates about 700 vehicles in the Los Angeles area, second only to San Francisco’s roughly 800–1,000 vehicle fleet.
The most popular destination for Waymo rides in LA is the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District, according to the company. Riders can book trips through the Waymo app or through Uber.
The company serves more than 1 million rides every month across the Bay Area and LA County. By the end of 2026, Waymo wants to hit 1 million rides every week—four times current volume.
Don’t know how old this kid was, but I think it would be better to re-emphasis traffic safety for all kids in school regardless of age. I was taught in school to look both ways before crossing a street and not run into a street. This was during the 1960s and it served me well.
The child ran into the street behind a parked car. How would that be the autonomous car’s fault? Given the track record of these autonomous cars, they are far safer than human drivers. They do not get distracted, they are not driving high or drunk, they follow speed limits, etc. etc. they are safer. They are the future.
Waymo’s are the only ones that let me cross busy streets when riding my bike and pedestrian friendly. We need more.
I saw an interview on TV with the woman who was an eye witness. As she said, the child was lucky. It was a Waymo car that hit her and not a driver car that would’ve been going much faster. I’ve used way more many times and much prefer it to drivers. They are safer and follow the traffic laws. Yes, accidents do happen and they get reported. Accidents happen with drivers doing the same thing and we never hear about it. We’re only hearing about it with Waymo because it’s driverless.