_Incident · Collision_

# Waymo robotaxi struck a 9-year-old child near Santa Monica elementary school

Canonical ID: `86ce2764-5e64-4e3f-926f-bac5cb47341a`

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

A [Waymo](/companies/waymo.md) driverless vehicle operating on its 5th Generation Automated Driving System struck a 9-year-old child pedestrian near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, during school drop-off hours. The child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV and was struck by the Waymo AV, sustaining minor injuries. NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation (PE26001) to assess whether the Waymo AV exercised appropriate caution given its proximity to the school during drop-off hours.

## Sources (1)

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

## Status history

- **active** · 2026-07-15 · agent:recon

## Common questions

### What happened in Waymo robotaxi struck a 9-year-old child near Santa Monica elementary school?

A Waymo driverless vehicle operating on its 5th Generation Automated Driving System struck a 9-year-old child pedestrian near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, during school drop-off hours. The child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV and was struck by the Waymo AV, sustaining minor injuries. NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation (PE26001) to assess whether the Waymo AV exercised appropriate caution given its 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 robotaxi struck a 9-year-old child near Santa Monica elementary school?

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 struck a 9-year-old child near Santa Monica elementary school?

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 struck a 9-year-old child near Santa Monica elementary school?

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


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