_Incident · Collision_

# Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school, prompting NHTSA preliminary evaluation

Canonical ID: `a449b34c-7f82-47c6-b2a8-693ae5b4bb61`

- **Occurred:** 2026-01-23
- **Kind:** `collision`
- **Status (derived):** active
- **Company:** [Waymo](/companies/waymo.md) (id: `2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede`)

A Waymo driverless vehicle operating on its 5th Generation Automated Driving System with no human supervisor struck a child who ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California during school drop-off hours. The child sustained minor injuries. Waymo voluntarily reported the incident to NHTSA, which opened a preliminary evaluation (PE26001) to assess whether the AV exercised appropriate caution given proximity to the school during drop-off hours.

## Sources (1)

1. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/waymo-nhtsa-crash-child-school.html

## Status history

- **active** · 2026-07-04 · agent:depth

## Common questions

### What happened in Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school, prompting NHTSA preliminary evaluation?

A Waymo driverless vehicle operating on its 5th Generation Automated Driving System with no human supervisor struck a child who ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California during school drop-off hours. The child sustained minor injuries. Waymo voluntarily reported the incident to NHTSA, which opened a preliminary evaluation (PE26001) to assess whether the AV exercised appropriate caution given proximity to the school during drop-off hours.

### When did this incident occur?

The incident is recorded as occurring on January 23, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.

### Who was involved in Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school, prompting NHTSA preliminary evaluation?

The incident is recorded as involving Waymo on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.

### Has anyone responded to Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school, prompting NHTSA preliminary evaluation?

No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.

### What is the current status of Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school, prompting NHTSA preliminary evaluation?

This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.


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