Waymo self-driving car hits child outside school, feds investigating
A Waymo self-driving car hit a child outside Grant Elementary in Santa Monica on Friday morning, January 23, 2026.
Thankfully, the child only had minor injuries, but the incident has sparked new questions about how safe self-driving cars really are—especially around schools.
Federal agencies are now investigating what happened.
The child ran into the street suddenly
The child suddenly ran into the street from behind a parked SUV, not using the crosswalk.
The Waymo car detected them and slowed from 27km/h to under 9.66km/h before impact.
Afterward, the child was able to walk away on their own.
Waymo's tech is under scrutiny
Waymo says their tech reacted faster than most humans would have, but this crash is adding pressure as they expand in California.
With more self-driving cars showing up in busy neighborhoods, people are watching closely to see if these vehicles can truly keep everyone safe—especially kids.