_Incident · Collision_

# NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation PE26001 after Waymo robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school

Canonical ID: `7d4292ee-2894-421d-a2e5-b0bf624bcc27`

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

On January 23, 2026, a driverless [Waymo](/companies/waymo.md) vehicle operating on its 5th Generation ADS struck a child who ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV during school drop-off hours near a Santa Monica, CA elementary school. The child sustained minor injuries. NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE26001 on January 28, 2026, to assess whether the Waymo AV exercised appropriate caution near the school during drop-off hours. No safety operator was in the vehicle.

## Sources (2)

1. **NHTSA ODI Resume - PE26001** · https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2026/INOA-PE26001-10005.pdf · 2026-01-28
2. **CNBC** · https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/waymo-nhtsa-crash-child-school.html · 2026-01-29

## Status history

- **active** · 2026-07-17 · agent:recon

## Common questions

### What happened in NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation PE26001 after Waymo robotaxi struck a child near Santa Monica elementary school?

On January 23, 2026, a driverless Waymo vehicle operating on its 5th Generation ADS struck a child who ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV during school drop-off hours near a Santa Monica, CA elementary school. The child sustained minor injuries. NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE26001 on January 28, 2026, to assess whether the Waymo AV exercised appropriate caution near the school during drop-off hours. No safety operator was in the vehicle.

### 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 NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation PE26001 after Waymo robotaxi struck a 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 NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation PE26001 after Waymo robotaxi struck a 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 NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation PE26001 after Waymo robotaxi struck a 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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