Waymo robotaxi hits a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica

A Waymo robotaxi struck a kid adjacent an simple schoolhouse successful Santa Monica connected January 23, according to the company. Waymo told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the kid — whose property is not known — sustained insignificant injuries.

The NHTSA has opened an investigation into the accident, and Waymo said successful a blog post that it “will cooperate afloat with them passim the process.”

Waymo said its robotaxi struck the kid astatine 6 miles per hour, aft braking “hard” from astir 17 miles per hour. The young pedestrian “suddenly entered the roadway from down a gangly SUV, moving straight into our vehicle’s path,” the institution said successful its blog post. Waymo said its conveyance “immediately detected the idiosyncratic arsenic soon arsenic they began to look from down the stopped vehicle.”

“Following contact, the pedestrian stood up immediately, walked to the sidewalk, and we called 911. The conveyance remained stopped, moved to the broadside of the road, and stayed determination until instrumentality enforcement cleared the conveyance to permission the scene,” Waymo wrote successful the post.

News of the clang comes arsenic Waymo faces dual investigations into its robotaxis illegally passing schoolhouse buses. NHTSA opened a probe into the occupation successful October soon aft the archetypal study of the incidental successful Atlanta, Georgia, and the National Transportation Safety Board opened its ain investigation past week aft astir 20 incidents were reported successful Austin, Texas.

This communicative is developing…