US regulators open inquiry into Waymo self-driving car that struck child in California | Technology
The United States’ federal transportation regulator said on Thursday it was launching an investigation after a Waymo self-driving car crashed into a child near a Southern California elementary school last week, causing minor injuries.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the Santa Monica boy ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV to school on Jan. 23 and was struck by the Waymo autonomous vehicle during regular school dismissal hours. The agency said there were other children, a crossing guard and several double-parked vehicles in the vicinity.
The federal agency is launching a preliminary assessment to investigate whether Waymo AV took appropriate precautions given its proximity to the elementary school during school dismissal hours and the presence of young pedestrians and other potentially vulnerable road users. The agency said it plans to examine the vehicle’s “intended behavior, including but not limited to compliance with posted speed limits, in school zones and adjacent areas, particularly during regular school pick-up/drop-off hours,” and will “also investigate Waymo’s post-crash response.”
“The Waymo Driver braked hard and reduced speed from approximately 17 mph to less than 6 mph before contact was made,” Waymo said in a post on its blog.
“To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model “It shows that in the same situation, a fully alert human driver would make contact with the pedestrian at approximately 22 km/h.”
The US transportation regulator has also launched an investigation into how Waymo vehicles approach school buses. Many schools have reported incidents of autonomous vehicles failing to stop or slowing down completely while children are being dropped off.
