Alphabet and Waymo

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary defect investigation into Waymo’s automated driving system after one of the company’s fully driverless vehicles struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, on January 23, 2026. According to NHTSA documents, the incident occurred during busy morning drop‑off hours within two blocks of the school, with multiple children present, a crossing guard on duty and cars double‑parked; the child reportedly ran into the road from behind a parked SUV and suffered minor injuries. No human safety operator was in the vehicle, which was operating in Waymo’s Level 4 mode, prompting federal investigators to examine whether the system exercised appropriate caution in a school zone, including adherence to speed limits, response to crossing‑guard signals, behavior around double‑parked vehicles and its actions immediately after the crash. Waymo says it voluntarily notified NHTSA the same day and is cooperating fully, framing the probe as part of its commitment to improve road safety, even as this and earlier federal scrutiny of autonomous fleets feed wider public concern about how self‑driving cars handle children and other unpredictable pedestrians. The case adds pressure on regulators and industry advocates who have argued AVs will reduce crashes overall, and it will be closely watched in other pilot cities where robotaxis already share streets with school traffic and dense foot‑traffic.