An autonomous driverless vehicle has struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, police revealed.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, the child was not injured during the incident.
Police said the incident occurred on January 23, 2026, at approximately 8:31 a.m., near 24th Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to Grant Elementary School.
“On January 23, 2026, at approximately 8:31 a.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a traffic collision involving an autonomous vehicle and a student near 24th Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to Grant Elementary School,” the department said in a statement.
“Preliminary information indicates the student entered the roadway outside the available crosswalk and away from the on-duty crossing guard, and was involved in a low-speed, non-injury collision with the vehicle,” the statement continued.
Police said Santa Monica Fire Department personnel evaluated the student at the scene and reported no injuries.
The child’s parent was present, and officers conducted an on-scene investigation.
The incident remains under review.
The autonomous vehicle was operated by Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
Waymo said it voluntarily contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration following the incident.
“Following the event, we voluntarily contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that same day,” the company said.
“NHTSA has indicated to us that they intend to open an investigation into this incident, and we will cooperate fully with them throughout the process.”
Waymo said the collision occurred after the student suddenly entered the roadway from behind a parked vehicle.
“The event occurred when the pedestrian suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle’s path,” the company said.
“Our technology immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle.
“The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made.”
The company argued that its system reduced the severity of the impact compared to what would be expected from a human driver.
“To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model shows that a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph,” Waymo said.
“This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver.”
According to Waymo, after contact was made, “the pedestrian stood up immediately, walked to the sidewalk, and we called 911.”
The vehicle remained stopped and was moved to the side of the road until law enforcement cleared it to leave the scene.
Federal regulators have now opened a formal investigation, adding to mounting pressure on Alphabet’s self-driving unit.
The incident lands as Waymo faces multiple probes tied to school-zone safety.
Regulators are questioning whether autonomous systems can manage the unpredictability of children near traffic.
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