A driverless Waymo robotaxi struck a 9-year-old child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California on January 23, 2026, during morning drop-off with a crossing guard on duty and several vehicles double-parked nearby. The child ran into the road from behind a double-parked SUV; the vehicle’s system detected the child and braked, reducing speed from about 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact, and the child suffered only minor injuries. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the vehicle’s behavior in school zones, noting it was the second time a Waymo vehicle had made contact with a child.