After Chain Collision, Child Hit in School Zone... Robo-Taxi Commercialization Under Fire Again

A series of child accidents and school zone controversies
Growing anxiety over the commercialization of autonomous taxis
Waymo faces repeated incidents as NHTSA expands investigation
Warnings persist: Robo-taxi rollout may still be prematur

Waymo's autonomous robo-taxi caused an accident by hitting a child near an elementary school, reigniting safety concerns surrounding the commercialization of autonomous vehicles. As accidents and regulatory violations involving Waymo vehicles have recently occurred across the United States, questions are growing about whether institutional and social safety measures are sufficient compared to the pace of technological advancement.

Waymo's autonomous robo-taxi struck a child near an elementary school, reigniting safety concerns surrounding the commercialization of autonomous vehicles. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

On January 30, Yonhap News reported, citing an announcement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), that Waymo had submitted a report regarding a traffic accident involving a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, and that an investigation had been launched.

According to the NHTSA, the accident occurred during school arrival hours, within two blocks of the school. The Waymo vehicle was passing between double-parked cars when it collided with a child who suddenly ran across the street from behind a parked SUV.

The child reportedly suffered minor injuries. At the time of the accident, there was no safety driver in the vehicle, and Waymo’s fifth-generation autonomous driving system was in operation. Other children and a crossing guard were also present nearby. Waymo said it voluntarily reported the accident to 911 immediately and expressed its full cooperation with the investigation.

Child Hit Near Elementary School... Dispute Over Responsibility Inevitable

Regarding the circumstances of the accident, Waymo stated, "The pedestrian suddenly entered the road from behind a large SUV," and explained, "The vehicle was traveling at 17 miles per hour (about 27.4 km/h) and detected the pedestrian, braking sharply. The speed just before the collision was less than 6 miles per hour (about 9.7 km/h)." The company added, "In the same situation, a fully attentive human driver would have been traveling at about 14 miles per hour at the time of the collision."

As accidents and regulatory violations involving Waymo vehicles have recently occurred across the United States, questions are growing about whether institutional and social safety measures are sufficient compared to the pace of technological advancement. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

However, the NHTSA plans to focus on whether the autonomous driving system met sufficient caution standards in this environment, given that the accident occurred near a school zone during school arrival hours, and how it is designed to recognize and respond to the risks posed by child pedestrians. Previously, Waymo was already under a separate NHTSA investigation after a case in Texas where one of its vehicles failed to stop properly for a stationary school bus.

This incident has also sparked controversy, raising the possibility of a violation of child safety regulations. Experts point out that "while autonomous driving technology has shown considerable stability on regular roads, school zones-where children’s unpredictable behavior is frequent-are the most challenging environments," and that "operating standards in these areas must be much stricter than on ordinary roads."

Chain Collision in LA’s Echo Park... Anxiety Grows Even With Manual Driving

The accidents involving Waymo vehicles did not stop there. On January 27, in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, near Dodger Stadium, a Waymo vehicle veered off the road and struck a sign and several parked cars in succession. According to local media such as CBS LA and FOX11 on January 28, closed-circuit TV footage showed a Waymo van (Zeekr model) suddenly leaving the roadway, rushing into a bush, and then abruptly returning to the road, causing a chain collision.

Waymo recently faced growing concerns about its expansion speed due to a series of accidents and the commencement of investigations. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Waymo explained, "The vehicle in question was not in autonomous mode; it was being driven manually by an employee of an external partner company." There were no injuries, but the exact number of damaged vehicles has not yet been confirmed. One of the owners of the damaged vehicles said, "Not only was my car damaged, but my mother and I were almost hit as we were entering our house."

Growing Anxiety Amid Service Expansion... Competitors Also Operate With Restrictions

Meanwhile, Waymo began operating its vehicles at San Francisco International Airport starting today. Additionally, Waymo expanded its service area to Miami, Florida on January 22 and plans to expand overseas this year to cities such as London, UK, and Tokyo, Japan. However, a series of accidents and the launch of investigations have raised concerns about the speed of its expansion. Competitor Tesla has also launched its robo-taxi service, but has maintained a conservative approach, operating only in restricted areas of Austin, Texas, with a safety supervisor on board as of last year.

Waymo expanded its service area to Miami, Florida on the 22nd and plans to expand overseas this year to cities such as London, UK, and Tokyo, Japan. Reuters Yonhap News

In particular, these recent Waymo accidents have sparked a local debate about the safety of autonomous vehicles, expanding the issue beyond the level of technological maturity to include institutional matters such as operational standards, responsibility structures, and stricter school zone regulations. Depending on the results of the NHTSA investigation, there is speculation that future restrictions on autonomous taxi operations in school zones or the introduction of additional safety standards may be considered. Despite expectations for the commercialization of robo-taxis, public concerns about safety remain unresolved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.