Waymo's self-driving car crashes into a child near an elementary school, Waymo claims it slowed down to a speed lower than a human driver would have.
Waymo, the self-driving car manufacturer, has reported an accident in Santa Monica, USA, near an elementary school, in which a child suffered minor injuries.
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NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
https://www.nhtsa.gov/?nhtsaId=PE26001
Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and is engaged in the research and development of self-driving cars. Waymo's self-driving cars have been commercialized as robotaxis and are currently operating in several areas of the United States, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Waymo launches robotaxi service in Miami - GIGAZINE
The reported accident occurred near an elementary school in Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles. The vehicle involved in the accident was equipped with fifth-generation autonomous driving technology, and there was no human driver on board at the time of the accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the accident.
According to the NHTSA report, the accident occurred within two blocks of an elementary school during school dismissal time. Other children, crossing guards, and multiple parked vehicles were present near the accident scene. The child was struck by a Waymo self-driving vehicle while attempting to cross the road toward the school from behind a parked SUV, suffering minor injuries.
Waymo claims that a child suddenly jumped out onto the road from behind a tall SUV and into the path of the self-driving car. The self-driving car was traveling at about 27 km/h, but the Waymo Driver, the self-driving system, applied the brakes the moment the child appeared, slowing the car to less than 6 km/h before hitting the child.
Waymo also stated, 'Based on our reaction time model , if a human driver had been driving in the same circumstances as this accident, they would have collided with the child at 22.7 km/h. The significant reduction in collision speed and impact in this accident demonstrates the significant safety benefits of Waymo Driver.' They claim that the accident has rather demonstrated safety.
NHTSA will investigate whether Waymo's self-driving system took appropriate precautions to prevent the presence of children. Waymo has stated that it will fully cooperate with the NHTSA's investigation.
Waymo is currently testing self-driving cars in Tokyo with the aim of launching its service in Japan.
Waymo, the self-driving car company, is finally expanding into Japan, partnering with Nihon Kotsu and GO to begin testing in Tokyo from early 2025 - GIGAZINE
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