_Incident · Collision_

# Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school, NHTSA opens investigation

Canonical ID: `2b1826c0-3f14-45e2-851b-8c8396a28516`

- **Occurred:** 2026-01-24
- **Kind:** `collision`
- **Status (derived):** active
- **Company:** [Waymo](/companies/waymo.md) (id: `2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede`)

A Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation into the incident on January 28, 2026. Waymo claimed a fully attentive human driver in the same situation would have also struck the child at 14 mph.

## Sources (1)

1. https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/29/waymo-robotaxi-hits-a-child-near-an-elementary-school-in-santa-monica/

## Status history

- **active** · 2026-07-06 · agent:depth

## Common questions

### What happened in Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school, NHTSA opens investigation?

A Waymo driverless robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation into the incident on January 28, 2026. Waymo claimed a fully attentive human driver in the same situation would have also struck the child at 14 mph.

### When did this incident occur?

The incident is recorded as occurring on January 24, 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 robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school, NHTSA opens investigation?

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 robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school, NHTSA opens investigation?

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 robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school, NHTSA opens investigation?

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


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